Andres Snoeckx with a chocolate “Sinterklaas”.
(Photo: private)
One of them already assembles the decoration as soon as “Last Christmas” is heard for the first time somewhere, the other makes a few more seats at the last minute on the 23rd … We have people from the District of Ebersberg asked how they celebrate the days from December 1st and what should definitely not be missing.
When is Christmas? The answer to that question seems simple, Christmas is December 24th or maybe the 25th if you live in the US and UK. A romantic might insist that Christmas is when you feel Christmassy or argue about politics with your loved ones. But there is also a group of tough realists, especially the children, who know what Christmas is about really goes: gifts.
If you follow this metric, Christmas in Belgium takes place on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. “In Belgium we traditionally do not have a Christ child, with us the gifts are given on St. Nicholas Day,” says Andres Snoeckx, who has lived in Munich and the surrounding area since 2000, currently in Poing. “Sinterklaas”, as St. Nicholas is called in the country on the North Sea, comes there on the night of December 5th and 6th and leaves presents for the children – of course only if they are (reasonably) adequate for him and his companions beforehand Have left equivalent value.
At night, boots filled with carrots for the horses, beer for the servant “Swarte Piet” (Black Peter) and, of course, milk for Sinterklaas himself stand in front of Belgian doors – who then leaves Playstations, books and vouchers in exchange. The children then have to starve until the 24th, “they often don’t have an advent calendar either,” explains Snoeckx. After all, the Christmas tree has usually been in place since the beginning of December, not just a few days before, as is often the case here.
On Christmas Eve there is still a small present, but the real event is the food. Snoeckx remembers: “That’s where we really feast. There are classic things like turkey and game, but also oysters and seafood, because of the access to the sea. There was always champagne too, that was something very special.” In the meantime, however, the American tradition is being adopted more and more in Belgium, with socks and gifts on the 24th or 25th.
“In our family everything is optimized to the maximum for the children,” says Snoeckx and laughs. “We now have everything: a Christmas tree, Advent calendar and two presents, one on St. Nicholas Day, one on Christmas.” The German children would certainly be happy about deepened German-Belgian relations!