Christmas in Curacao

We in Trinidad can’t imagine Christmas without our black cake, ponche-de-creme, sorrel, ginger beer, pastelle, parang, meeting “Santa Claus” at the various malls and exchanging gifts on Christmas morning.

Curacao, being of Dutch origin and background, follows mainly the traditions of the Netherland Antilles, which includes Bonaire, St. Maarten, St Eustatius, Saba and the metropole, Holland. Locals have Dutch nationality and carry European Union passports.

Their tradition of gift giving for Christmas is associated with Saint Nicholas’ birthday on December 6.

Sinterklaas, who usually comes by boat to St Anna’s Bay in Willemstad from Spain around the middle of November, is thin and very tall, whereas the popular Santa is shorter and large around the middle. Sinterklaas celebrations in Curacao take place in schools, hospitals, shopping malls and at homes.

On a media trip last week to the island, I was pleasantly surprised to come face to face with him outside Fusions Restaurant and Bar located at Salina Galleries (a small shopping mall on the outskirts of Willemstad).

With his long white beard and gold-coloured staff, and dressed in long flowing robes with a triangle-shaped pointed hat (“mitre”) looking very much like a Catholic bishop, he was visiting the mall accompanied by about 30 of his helper goblins, known as Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), who are painted black with red mouths and dress in very colourful costumes.

He told us he normally rides on a white horse, but was using a white car today. During his traditional parades, his helpers would usually throw small pieces of Pepernoten (gingerbread candy) to the children.

At the mall, the Black Petes were playing music and doing acrobatic tricks to entertain children and parents, who also wanted to have their pictures taken with Sinterklaas.

Sinterklaas told us that the Dutch Christmas is always special because, like his nephew Santa Claus who delivers gifts on Christmas Eve, he too presents children with gifts, but on the eve of his birthday, December 5 (which is called pakjesavond, or evening of packages). And, he says, the children prefer him to Santa.

On this date, instead of the more widely known eggnog, the Dutch drink hot chocolate milk and eat special cookies, called Speculaas.

In anticipation of his arrival, children in Dutch countries usually place a carrot and some water for the horse next to their shoes where Sinterklaas places their gifts. If they were naughty that year, he would leave small bags of salt, “but I think all children are good, so I don’t give any of them salt,” he said.

In the evening, the adults would exchange gifts wrapped in elaborate decorations, attached to humorous poems about the recipient. They also like to display euphorbia pulcherrima (a small poinsettia plant) in their homes, as this is the traditional Christmas flower.

On December 25, while Santa Claus delivers gifts as well, Dutch children tend to identify more with Sinterklaas.

While the Curacaoans don’t have any one particular Christmas dish, according to our tour bus driver, Natasha (who was born in Holland), they usually bake the famous Dutch Christmas ring, called Kerstkrans, and they eat Ayaka, which is similar to pastelle, but uses chicken strips instead of minced meat. Then, on December 31, similar to the way West Indians eat their black-eyed peas dishes, the Dutch eat Oliebollen (a type of doughnut). As the Dutch say, Vrolijk Kerstfeest! (Merry Christmas!)