Who is SinterKlaas? Many of my friends reading this blog may not come from countries that celebrate this Saint's day. He is the precursor of what we know today as Santa Claus. The Dutch brought their tradition of this feast with them to the colonies. Notice the similarities of the names? It is said that this came about over time by the English pronunciation of the name. It is also thought that the Dutch immigrants dropped celebrating gift giving on December 5th and moved it to Christmas.
SinterKlaas is actually Nicolaas of Myra who was a bishop. He is thought to have been born on December 6th, 352. This day is to celebrate his birthday. He is considered to be a saint that befriended and protected children. He also provided a dowry for three daughters of a poor man so they would not have to go into prostitution. You can read about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas.
I wish you a very happy day regardless of what you celebrate.
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