JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
With apologies to the Scottish root, have an extreme soft spot for my Huson/Crego/Kipp ancestors, the first not being a Dutch name but by the time it made it to the Civil War era, had displaced most of it's English genesis by dependably filling in generations featuring ' Antje's' and Jans. I was already a little smug over Santa, having some dim understanding of his own roots in the Olde Country, but was dreadfully uninformed not only on how Santa came about but that there exists to this day Santa's genial, more svelte grgrgrgrgruncle, Sinterklaas. I realize it's tough to read long posts, so apologise- skim with an eye closed for the important bits. It's a little hard to be accurate AND brief with this stuff.
We seem to owe the existence of one of our most treasured and iconically (sp? ) American symbols of Christmas, forgivably connected with the gift of Christ’s birth and the holiday celebrating His Birth by being a lavishly gift-giving symbol, to our early Dutch ancestors. My mother and I were talking about some of them just the other day, musing over how a people not generally known for perhaps leaving a splash had indeed done so in spreading creative wings in their New World 400 years ago. Our family tree has strong roots branching through New Amsterdam, photos 150 years old twinkle at us. We have letters they wrote to each other, I think to us too. In the words of my ancestors I can hear the voices of a people who enchanted their children first, then an entire country with a chilly, kindly, red-clad, chubby old man and his compulsive need to make folks happy.
Sinterlaas
http://blog.traceyourdutchroots.com/2008/11/sinterklaas-number-one-dutch-tradition.html
“Sinterklaas arrives about three weeks before his birthday (6 December), on a steamship, with his assistants, the Zwarte Pieten (sing. Zwarte Piet, Black Pete), his grey horse, and plenty of presents for all Dutch children. Each year, he arrives in a different town. This year, the arrival was in Almere, on 15 November. This arrival is broadcast live on Dutch television (it has been broadcast every year for decades). In the three weeks he is in The Netherlands, he visits every school, every shopping mall, and many homes and companies. If you are in The Netherlands this week, there is a good chance you will meet him - just visit the nearest mall. He will be sitting on a central spot, while his Zwarte Pieten are walking around the mall, handing out pepernoten (ginger bread cookies) to young children.
Traditionally, on 5 December, children would put a shoe near the chimney. They would then find a present in it on the morning of 6 December, St. Nicholas day. Nowadays, children leave their shoes several times between the arrival of the steamship and St. Nicholas eve. In modern houses or apartments without a chimney they leave their shoes near a small window. The children put a carrot or some sugar cubes in their shoe and a cup of water next to it (for the grey horse), and sing a traditional St. Nicholas song (loudly in case one of the Zwarte Pieten is on the roof, so that he can hear their songs). At night, Sinterklaas will ride over the roofs (on his grey horse), or send one of his Zwarte Pieten, to throw presents through the chimney into the shoes. If the children left something for the horse, or for Sinterklaas (some children make a drawing and put it in their shoes, as a gift for Sinterklaas), a Zwarte Piet comes down the chimney (however small the chimney may be) to collect it.
St. Nicholas eve is now pakjesavond, present eve. If there are small children, the family will get together and sing traditional Sinterklaas songs. After a while, there is a loud knock on the door, the door opens slightly, and the hand of a Zwarte Piet is seen. Zwarte Piet throws a handful of pepernoten into the room. The children first crawl around to collect the pepernoten, and then open the door to see if Zwarte Piet is still there. He never is, but they do find a basket full of presents that he left behind. (For some reason, Zwarte Piet always chooses a time when one of the adults has gone to the toilet, or gone out to get some fresh air. The adult is then disappointed that he missed all the fun...)
If there are no small children in the family, people will give each other gifts, usually anonymously. They will draw names to decide who gives to whom, and then put their gifts in a basket, and everyone will open their gift on St. Nicholas eve.
Gifts are usually accompanied by a short, simple poem about the receiver, often of a teasing nature (at least for adults and older children). The receiver must read this poem aloud before he is allowed to open the present. Also popular are the surprises (pronounced surpreeses): Either ingeniously wrapped gifts or little practical jokes.
According to our tradition, only sweet children get presents, while naughty children get a rod. Many Zwarte Pieten hold a rod, that they use to wave menacingly. Extremely naughty children go into the empty sacks that were used for transporting the presents, and they are taken away by Sinterklaas on his steamship. I've never heard of any children actually receiving a rod, let alone being taken away in sacks, so I assume there are only sweet children in The Netherlands. “
http://www.examiner.com/article/from-sinter-klaas-to-santa-claus
“ Sinter Klaas received little attention outside the Dutch communities in America for over a century. In 1809, Washington Irving changed that. In The History of New York, Irving listed Klaas as the patron saint of New York. At this point, Saint Nick was described as a bit of a character. Dutch culture helped define early New York and Saint Nicolas provided the city something uniquely their own. The saint was part of New York's identity.
In 1823, Saint Nicholas evolved from New York's patron saint and into the man revered by children worldwide. The Night Before Christmas filled in most of the details regarding Santa Claus. At this point, the United States searched for its own identity separate from England and Europe. Sinter Klaas became Saint Nick and was endowed with special power separating the New World from old. The anonymous poem included the sleigh, reindeer, bag of toys, sliding down the chimney, and so on. However, Santa is not yet the jolly fat man at the department store. Instead, he’s a small elf-like figure riding in a “miniature sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer.” Elves come from the old world. This last vestige lasted only forty years.
In 1863, Saint Nicolas the elf becomes large old Santa Claus. Political cartoonist Thomas Nast renamed Saint Nicolas and provided the modern image of Santa. Nast’s version portrayed Santa as heavy set and wearing more or less the standard Santa garb. The hat, beard, and style and color of the suit are all familiar. Nast even placed Santa’s residence at the North Pole. In this case, Nast Americanizes Saint Nicolas. He is now Santa and not a saint. The religious connotations are gone and he is no longer an elf. The last vestiges of the old world are gone. “
Which brings me to the whole 1863 thing, Thomas Nast of the era, and another Christmas thread- hopefully tomorrow.
We seem to owe the existence of one of our most treasured and iconically (sp? ) American symbols of Christmas, forgivably connected with the gift of Christ’s birth and the holiday celebrating His Birth by being a lavishly gift-giving symbol, to our early Dutch ancestors. My mother and I were talking about some of them just the other day, musing over how a people not generally known for perhaps leaving a splash had indeed done so in spreading creative wings in their New World 400 years ago. Our family tree has strong roots branching through New Amsterdam, photos 150 years old twinkle at us. We have letters they wrote to each other, I think to us too. In the words of my ancestors I can hear the voices of a people who enchanted their children first, then an entire country with a chilly, kindly, red-clad, chubby old man and his compulsive need to make folks happy.
Sinterlaas
http://blog.traceyourdutchroots.com/2008/11/sinterklaas-number-one-dutch-tradition.html
“Sinterklaas arrives about three weeks before his birthday (6 December), on a steamship, with his assistants, the Zwarte Pieten (sing. Zwarte Piet, Black Pete), his grey horse, and plenty of presents for all Dutch children. Each year, he arrives in a different town. This year, the arrival was in Almere, on 15 November. This arrival is broadcast live on Dutch television (it has been broadcast every year for decades). In the three weeks he is in The Netherlands, he visits every school, every shopping mall, and many homes and companies. If you are in The Netherlands this week, there is a good chance you will meet him - just visit the nearest mall. He will be sitting on a central spot, while his Zwarte Pieten are walking around the mall, handing out pepernoten (ginger bread cookies) to young children.
Traditionally, on 5 December, children would put a shoe near the chimney. They would then find a present in it on the morning of 6 December, St. Nicholas day. Nowadays, children leave their shoes several times between the arrival of the steamship and St. Nicholas eve. In modern houses or apartments without a chimney they leave their shoes near a small window. The children put a carrot or some sugar cubes in their shoe and a cup of water next to it (for the grey horse), and sing a traditional St. Nicholas song (loudly in case one of the Zwarte Pieten is on the roof, so that he can hear their songs). At night, Sinterklaas will ride over the roofs (on his grey horse), or send one of his Zwarte Pieten, to throw presents through the chimney into the shoes. If the children left something for the horse, or for Sinterklaas (some children make a drawing and put it in their shoes, as a gift for Sinterklaas), a Zwarte Piet comes down the chimney (however small the chimney may be) to collect it.
St. Nicholas eve is now pakjesavond, present eve. If there are small children, the family will get together and sing traditional Sinterklaas songs. After a while, there is a loud knock on the door, the door opens slightly, and the hand of a Zwarte Piet is seen. Zwarte Piet throws a handful of pepernoten into the room. The children first crawl around to collect the pepernoten, and then open the door to see if Zwarte Piet is still there. He never is, but they do find a basket full of presents that he left behind. (For some reason, Zwarte Piet always chooses a time when one of the adults has gone to the toilet, or gone out to get some fresh air. The adult is then disappointed that he missed all the fun...)
If there are no small children in the family, people will give each other gifts, usually anonymously. They will draw names to decide who gives to whom, and then put their gifts in a basket, and everyone will open their gift on St. Nicholas eve.
Gifts are usually accompanied by a short, simple poem about the receiver, often of a teasing nature (at least for adults and older children). The receiver must read this poem aloud before he is allowed to open the present. Also popular are the surprises (pronounced surpreeses): Either ingeniously wrapped gifts or little practical jokes.
According to our tradition, only sweet children get presents, while naughty children get a rod. Many Zwarte Pieten hold a rod, that they use to wave menacingly. Extremely naughty children go into the empty sacks that were used for transporting the presents, and they are taken away by Sinterklaas on his steamship. I've never heard of any children actually receiving a rod, let alone being taken away in sacks, so I assume there are only sweet children in The Netherlands. “
http://www.examiner.com/article/from-sinter-klaas-to-santa-claus
“ Sinter Klaas received little attention outside the Dutch communities in America for over a century. In 1809, Washington Irving changed that. In The History of New York, Irving listed Klaas as the patron saint of New York. At this point, Saint Nick was described as a bit of a character. Dutch culture helped define early New York and Saint Nicolas provided the city something uniquely their own. The saint was part of New York's identity.
In 1823, Saint Nicholas evolved from New York's patron saint and into the man revered by children worldwide. The Night Before Christmas filled in most of the details regarding Santa Claus. At this point, the United States searched for its own identity separate from England and Europe. Sinter Klaas became Saint Nick and was endowed with special power separating the New World from old. The anonymous poem included the sleigh, reindeer, bag of toys, sliding down the chimney, and so on. However, Santa is not yet the jolly fat man at the department store. Instead, he’s a small elf-like figure riding in a “miniature sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer.” Elves come from the old world. This last vestige lasted only forty years.
In 1863, Saint Nicolas the elf becomes large old Santa Claus. Political cartoonist Thomas Nast renamed Saint Nicolas and provided the modern image of Santa. Nast’s version portrayed Santa as heavy set and wearing more or less the standard Santa garb. The hat, beard, and style and color of the suit are all familiar. Nast even placed Santa’s residence at the North Pole. In this case, Nast Americanizes Saint Nicolas. He is now Santa and not a saint. The religious connotations are gone and he is no longer an elf. The last vestiges of the old world are gone. “
Which brings me to the whole 1863 thing, Thomas Nast of the era, and another Christmas thread- hopefully tomorrow.
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