Dear Editor:
Re: Room for traditions - but not for racism, Our View, The Record, Nov. 25.
I was very disappointed and to some degree insulted by your editorial regarding the Sinterklaas celebrations and the role of Black Peter in this event. Perhaps a bit of research would be helpful before making the categorical claim that blasts an entire country with the "racist" label.
Is it really imaginable that an entire country like the multicultural Netherlands would keep a tradition if it was really that offensive? Perhaps a more careful look is warranted.
Sinterklaas is celebrated each year in the Netherlands with its full complement of Black Peters. The celebration dates from the 1600s, and the exact origin of Black Peter is not clear. However, in its current format, there are no racial themes in the role part that Black Peter plays in the Sinterklaas event.
To portray a link between the Black Peter character and with the American minstrels is false and demonstrates a lack of knowledge about the Sinterklaas tradition. Just because the exterior appearance is similar, it does not mean it is the same (or at least that is what I was taught in the Nertherlands!).
The modern Black Peter is respected and has a valuable role in the Sinterklaas event. Each Black Peter typically has a unique contribution (for example: rooftop logistics expert, I am not joking). They are part of a team, and while Sinterklaas is the boss, there is no master-slave relationship or anything similar.
In the Netherlands, when young children ask why Black Peter is black, this will be explained by the soot of the chimneys. Older children will be taught the multiple origins of the tradition, including the attitude of past times and how it has changed for the better. I distinctly remember this "teachable moment" when I was about 10 years old.
The Sinterklaas event in New Westminster has been organized by volunteers for 25 years without any problems. To my knowledge it is the only Dutch event in Western Canada, and cancelling it has the same impact for Dutch residents as cancelling Christmas for Canadians.
I am incredibly sad that I will not be able to let my son experience this tiny bit of Dutch tradition as a result of a few people who feel they have to be offended by a tradition that they do not have an understanding of.
Daniel Schulten, Delta
