The Dutch/Belgian holiday of Sinterklaas is traditionally accompanied by a television special on December 5th. Just like in the United States every cartoon children's character from Charlie Brown to Inspector Gadget has 'saved Christmas' over the cause of many winters, in the low countries the Turkish Saint from Spain and his loyal helpers, the Zwarte Pieten have to overcome all sort of obstacles in order to bring all good boys and girls a present. The festivities start building up a few weeks earlier as the good man himself, Sint Nicholas arrives from Spain on his steamboat with all his soot-blackened helpers. This event is broadcast live and even gets reported on in the nightly news, to verify that Sinterklaas is a real person and not just make-believe. In the weeks leading up to the holiday, children are allowed to leave a shoe near the fireplace (or radiator) at night in the hope that Zwarte Piet might fill it with some candy or a small present before the night is through.
This holiday special starts with fisherman Eeltje Steur (Leen Jongewaard) recounting the Steamboat's arrival at Monnickerdam (Sinterklaas likes to sail into a different town each year). As usual, something went wrong along the way. The Hoofd Piet, who is clearly not an experienced sailor, managed to get the steamboat stuck on the IJsselmeer. Paddling to the harbor in a hastily made raft, Hoofd Piet (aka Senõr Piet) was spotted by a little girl called Annabel, who together with Eeltje Steur came to the rescue in Eeltje's ship, a VD2-43 Bolkapje. For this, Annabel deserved a special present on Pakjesavond, and the little girl requests just one thing: a house.
So much for Eeltje's flashback. Back in the present, St. Nicholas' birthday celebrations (December 5, though his actual day of birth is a day later) are fast approaching and the Zwarte Pieten have prepared the best looking dolls house they could find for Annabel. When they present it to her and her mother, they find them living in such a small cottage that they can hardly carry the toy house in. Of course they realize Annabel's wish was not for a toy house, but a bigger house for her mother and her herself to live in.
Written by Mies Bouhuys (not to be confused with Mies Bouman who presented the arrival of Sinterklaas at the time), there is a surprising amount of social commentary incorporated into this children's special. The lack of houses in the Netherlands in the early seventies is a main part of the story, while Eeltje addresses the imminent dry-laying of some of the countries great bodies of water. All this is intertwined with some easy to sing-along to musical numbers and lots of comedy with the Zwarte Pieten, who are desperate to find a present for their master, on top of all this. Sinterklaas remains mostly in the background himself, for that is his way. I must say that the 1970 Sinterklaas looks and sounds a whole lot sterner than the present one.
Sometime during the late eighties, the tradition of Sinterklaas stories presented on NOS Television was replaced by an annual visit of the holy man to Sesamstraat (Dutch version of Sesame Street). However, with the advent of numerous commercial channels, new adventures featuring the Sint and his Pietermannen went into production, forcing the NOS to start a daily series 'Het SinterklaasJournaal'. Now even local channels have gotten into the game, and it is becoming more and more difficult to keep track of all the different stories culminating on December 5. That's why it's good to look back at an earlier, simpler time when Annabel and Eeltje saved Sinterklaas.
8 out of 10
