Ruby Tuesday, the Story of Sinterklaas

I'm digging up some very old pictures today, to tell you the story of "Sinterklaas".
You may notice "Sinterklaas" sounds a little like Santa Claus,
and you're right, the two of them are related, well ... sort of.


December the sixth is a very special day for little children in Belgium.
That's when they celebrate Sinterklaas.
Sinterklaas is a saint who comes all the way from Spain each year,
to bring the little children toys and sweets.
On the night of the fifth he rides with his white horse
on the roofs of people's houses making sure
all of the toys and gifts are delivered on time,
throwing everything through the chimney, or so they say ...

One day I invited him to my house.



Here he comes ...

The scary part is not Sinterklaas himself, but his assistants.
His assistants are black, and they carry a huge bag.
And if you haven't been good, chances are they'll put you in it.
Or so they say ...

Sinterklaas will ask you if you've been good,
there's no cheating here, his helpers won't be fooled.
They will know if you've been up to something...
Or so they say ...

But if you HAVE been good, you get to sit on his lap and he gives you a present.



(The little girl on his lap is my daughter when she was three.)


This is my Ruby for this week, the story of Sinterklaas.
You might never have heard of him before, that's why I'm sharing this.
I had no idea what Thanksgiving was before I started blogging here, so ...

Please make sure to visit the other Ruby Tuesday participants
at Work of the poet.