Like most northern Europeans, the Dutch celebrate the traditional feast day of Saint Nicholas on December 6 th . Sinterklaas, as he is known in Dutch, is the kindly bishop clad in red. He travels on his white horse and every winter he is welcomed by the people of Amsterdam. Peeling bells and brass bands lead a parade from the harbor to the palace to honor the arrival of Sinterklaas and his white horse and herald in the holiday season. On the eve of the feast of Saint Nicholas families in Holland gather together for a traditional meal and general merriment. Hot chocolate is accompanied by traditional letter cakes that are formed into the shape of the family’s initials. At the end of the night, children set wooden shoes out near the fireplace. They fill the shoes with hay and carrots for Sinterklaas’s horse. In the morning they find the shoes full of nuts, candies, and other small gifts.
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