News of: Wednesday, November 16 2005,
Sinterklaas, the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus, is to arrive on November 20 in Amsterdam.
From 11 am Sinterklaas will sail with his 'black piets' from the river Amstel to the Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime Museum), just east of the Central Station.
He will arrive there at 12 o'clock.
From 12.30 to 2.30pm he will go through the city, starting at Kattenburgerstraat (that is where the Scheepvaartmuseum is), then Prins Hendrikkade, Damrak, Dam, Rokin, Munt, Vijzelgracht, Vijzelstraat, Weteringschans to the Leidseplein (the end of the tour). At 2.30 pm Sinterklaas will speak from the balcony of the Staddschouwburg theatre at the Leidseplein square.
Sinterklaas is an age-old Dutch tradition - on December 5 all children get presents from Sinterklaas, after they have sung Sinterklaas songs in front of the chimney, and they have to leave a carrot for Sinterklaas' horse.
Sinterklaas throws the presents through the chimney, riding on the roof, on his white horse. His black helpers ('zwarte pieten') assist him with this immense task.
