The Netherlands' Black Pete Tradition Stirs Racial Ruckus

There are some things Dutch kids can count on. Rain. Bicycles. And every year, on a cold November day, a gift-bearing Saint Nicholas who arrives, accompanied by African-looking helpers. While the festivities leading up to the Dec. 5 celebration of Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicholas, will surely take place this year, they’re drawing international scrutiny. A panel that advises the United Nations on human rights has questioned whether depictions of the mischievous helpers, collectively called Black Petes and typically portrayed by whites in blackface paint, are racist.

That has fueled a furious backlash among the Dutch: More than 2 million people have liked a Facebook group supporting the Petes. Fewer than 13,000 have joined another group saying they’re racist. Anouk, a Dutch singer who this year represented the country at the Eurovision Song Contest, has spoken out in recent weeks against traditional portrayals of the Black Petes. In response, she says, she’s received hate messages.