Some more Sinterklaas....

I found this on an english website about our "Sinterklaas". It might explain some more about our Dutch tradition....

St. Nicolaas, more fondly known as "Sinterklaas" arrives each year in the Netherlands around mid November. The saint, who travels from Spain by steamboat, is accompanied by his white horse and his knight, Black Peter (Zwarte Piet), as well as several "help" Peters. Legend goes that Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet travel over the roofs of the Dutch houses at night. The Dutch children put their shoes (used to be wooden shoes) in front of the fire place. They sing songs and provide a carrot or hay for the horse. At night Zwarte Piet puts gifts and candy in it. On the evening of December 5th, Dutch families celebrate Sinterklaas' birthday (the name day of St. Nicolas is December 6th). For the smallest children, who still believe, a loud knock on the door signifies the arrival of Sinterklaas. Simultaneously, candy is thrown from upstairs by Zwarte Piet. When the door is opened, a large bag full of gifts waits on the front step.

Oh, I can remember the excitement very well!
For the older kids and adults, the tradition takes on a different turn. One way to celebrate the evening is as follows: Each gift is concealed in a "surprise" (pronounced the French way). A surprise is a gag. For example, a small present is hidden in a surprise. You make something from paper or wood or old boxes which really has to do with that person. For example I used to be a swimmer and some one made me a swimmingpool from paper and box with little puppets in there doing Synchro. Once I also got a plastic tub, with lines on the bottom and filled with water. My present was on the bottom and I had to 'dive' for it. It was really made as swimmingpool. The surprise does not have to be big, it can just touch on a weakness or vice of the receiver. The surprise is accompanied by a teasing poem. Around Sinterklaas, even the most prozaic Dutch become accomplished poets! It's a lot of fun.
Another way to celebrate the tradition is a special game played with a big dice. This is the way I spent the evening for the last couple of years. Actually we allready did it yesterday, as we all had different things to do 5 dec. This is the way it goes. You each buy 4 small nice gifts and take 1 gift from just anything you want to get rid of. Something old or ugly out of your house, or something really weird or funny. You wrap all presents. I for example took some old coffee mugs which I never use and which are very ugly (that's why I never use 'm). All presents are put together all you start throwing the dice. Every time you throw 6, you may pick a gift and unwrap it. You might pick something nice, but you may also have bad luck and pick 1 of the 'trash' gifts. This could take quite some time, but it's fun already. When all presents are unwrapped, the game actually starts. All number but the 6 on the dice mean something:
1: You may pick any gift from some else
2: pick 2 names out of the bowl with names: the 1st name has to give a present to the 2nd name
3: pick a gift from someone and give it to another person
4: everyone has to give 1 gift to the person on his/hers left hand side
5: pick an instruction from the bowl with instructions
6: nothing
The clock is set when the game starts (for about an hour), when the time is over you're stuck with the presents you've got at that time. It's so much fun, when you finally think you have the gift you really like, you have to switch seats for example. In the instruction bowl there can be instructions like that, or like give all your presents to your fellow players and you may pick 3 gifts from anyone. Or switch seat with the person on your right side. Or each person has to put a gift in the middle and the first person who throws 6 gets all the gifts. You usually end up with a lot of 'trash' gifts at that time.
We have been doing this game for a few times now. The first time we played it someone brought in a very ugly musical thing. It's a glass horse on a silver bottom and it plays the song it's a small world after all. And ofcourse this year it was there again. Nobody wantsit so tries to get rid of it all the time. We finally ended up with everyone having something they really liked so that was good. It was a fun evening, we were all acting like little kids hoping to get our favourite present.