by Sophie, age 9, asks Sinterklaas do you ride a white horse, not a sleigh with reindeer?, about Amsterdam’s canals, and why Dutch children leave carrots in shoes
Dear Sinterklaas,
My name is Sophie and I am 9 years old. I live in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where I put a shoe by the fireplace every night in early December with a carrot inside for a horse, not for reindeer.
First, do you ride a white horse, not a sleigh with reindeer?
Second, a geography question: what famous canals ring the center of Amsterdam?
Third, a school question about my country: why do Dutch children put out shoes with carrots instead of hanging stockings?
I left you pepernoten and hot chocolate.
Love, Sophie, age 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
From the Desk of Sinterklaas
Dear Sophie, thank you for the treat, it was wonderful. Now, your questions.
Do you ride a white horse, not a sleigh with reindeer?
A white horse named Amerigo, yes, my usual way of crossing the rooftops of the Netherlands each December.
What famous canals ring the center of Amsterdam?
Amsterdam’s historic center is famously wrapped in a ring of canals, the Grachtengordel, built in the 1600s, and flying low over the water with all the narrow houses and bridges lit up is one of the prettiest sights on my entire European tour.
Why do Dutch children put out shoes with carrots instead of hanging stockings?
This is one of the oldest parts of the tradition, tied to Sinterklaas’s horse, who carries him across the rooftops of the Netherlands each December. Children leave a carrot or some hay in their shoe by the fireplace overnight, a custom that predates the American stockings-by-the-chimney tradition by centuries.
Tot ziens, Sophie.
Ho ho ho, Sinterklaas
