The gradual disappearance of Zwarte Piet at local Sinterklaas arrivals ensures a refreshment of the group of volunteers at Sinterklaas committees in our province. This is evident from a tour of NH Nieuws. Not all volunteers agree with Piet’s new appearance, while others want to commit themselves to a successful entry precisely because of the change.
“It is mainly the old-timers who have some difficulty with the changes,” says Lida Mathot of the Sinterklaas Entry Foundation in Alkmaar. “You know, if you’ve been dressing up as a Black Pete for 25 years – without a single wrong thought about it,” she emphasizes, “you know all the kids by name, but nobody knows who you are. It’s different now when they are sooty. Then they are recognized, and that is less free.”
Mathot says that last year’s pet population took a big hit. “There was a complete turnaround when we decided last year that we were going to do soot wipes,” she says. Last year, 10 of the 45 Piets did not attend. The group has now been supplemented by the people who already participated, who found new enthusiasts among their own friends.
orchestras
Not only Piets dropped out last year, but also orchestras. “So yes, we are looking for new bands again this year,” says Mathot.
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Also in Haarlem, where the soot-veegpiet made its arrival about seven to eight years ago, the ‘permanent Piet band’ stopped at the time, says entry chairman Marc Schultheis, who even threatened became because of his idea of a ‘flower pie’. “Years ago we received a lot of nasty emails and messages on social media, but we are now much further in the discussion. I think 99.9% of people have resigned themselves to it.”
Schultheis is now not worried about a shortage of volunteers for the arrival of Sinterklaas. In Haarlem they work with a large group, he says, about 150 people. Thanks to a network of other Sinterklaas committees, they also come from other parts of the country. According to him, the fact that this is necessary has to do with, among other things, the recognisability of soot wipes.
Raised with black pete
Also in Heemstede, John Visser, as an organizer, noticed some ripples in the changing appearance of Piet. Of the approximately 120 volunteers – including, for example, people who help on the route, with the horses, the make-up or in organizing the scattering material – an (unknown) number gave thanks when the sooty wipes were introduced in 2021.
According to Visser, this has nothing to do with discrimination, but with the philosophy behind the Sinterklaas party: “They think: ‘A Piet is black or (dark) brown, that’s what I grew up with, and that’s it.’ I’m not the one to say ‘you think that wrong’. We as a foundation support everyone and want to take everyone into account.”
“There are also new volunteers who came in last year, who say: ‘I don’t care about that appearance'”
Visser: “New volunteers were also added last year. They say: ‘I don’t care about that appearance, I just like to contribute to an event that gives a lot of children fun.’ And that is of course the approach: that thousands of people experience a very nice afternoon.”
His core group – the board and about 10 permanent volunteers – has remained complete, says Visser. He is not worried about new recruits: they do report through word of mouth or the website. “Everything always works out at Sinterklaas”, Visser laughs.
Heated discussion
Volendam is a municipality in North Holland that is not yet sure whether Zwarte Piet will remain or disappear. The discussion is still going on there. Last year, a day before Christmas Eve, emotions were still running highwhen an anti-Black Pete organization demonstrated in the market, after which the group was pelted with eggs.
An anonymous Piet told NH Nieuws last June that ‘some volunteers will drop out if Piet cannot stay black’. Johan Bond of the Volendam Sinterklaas committee does not want to say much about the final appearance this year. However, he can be brief about the volunteers: whatever Piet will look like, it will be absolutely no effort to find helping hands. “It is important that the children’s party continues.”
