The Christmas Pickle and Zwarte Piet!

Ho! Ho! Ho!, eh! Wonderful to see you. Help yourself to a fortifying mug of coffee and if you want to put a little something in it, far be it from me to discourage you. Have a virtual Christmas treat as well. Say...you know I sometimes cover unusual Christmas happenings, eh. Well, in keeping with my Christmas tradition, here are a couple strange ones for you.

The Christmas Pickle

The story goes that when German families decorate the Christmas tree, the last ornament to be hung is the Christmas pickle -usually a blown glass ornament that may have been passed down through generations. It is tucked away in a hard-to-see spot (it is green, after all). The first child who finds the pickle on Christmas morning gets a special gift and good luck all the next year. The trouble with this legend is that people in Germany were unfamiliar with it. Glass tree ornaments were indeed made in Germany, in the shape of fruits and vegetables and other objects. These ornaments became very popular in America when F.W. Woolworth began importing them in the 1880s. An old German legend no doubt helped to sell more glass ornaments!

Zwarte Piet

 

Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter is Santa’s helper in the Netherlands. Sinterklass arrives on the eve of St. Nicholas Day in a steamship with his slave Zwarte Piet, portrayed in public processions in several cities. Since about 1850, children who don’t behave during the year were told that Black Peter might take them back to Spain, where Sinterklaas lives. The racist aspects of the custom have been downplayed in recent decades, and the tale of Black Peter now describes him as a chimney sweep instead of a slave, which explains the blackface. But charges of racism still follow Black Peter, as he is often portrayed with an Afro and exaggerated features.

Been out shopping for your pooping Santa yet?

See ya...and may reindeer poop all over your roof tonight, eh!

Bob