Black Pete: A racist cultural/Christmas tradition that should be left in the past?

[The Anti-Targ]

Dutch tradition of people blackening their face and putting on a black curly wig to dress up as a character named Black Pete (Zwarte Piet), who is Santa's helper in delivering presents. This is a character that has a somewhat unclear historical origin. Is the blackface representatvie of soot from climbing up and down chimneys or is the character an African [freed / rescued] slave. There doesn't seem to be a universally accepted version.

But whatever the origin, even if it is as a former African slave, is this blackface tradition an exception to the rule that blackface is almost by definition a racist thing?

The local Dutch community in Auckland ran a parade which featured Black Pete and it received the full spectrum of responses.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11557728

My immediate reaction to blackface is, this is racially dodgy unless proven otherwise. I'm open to this situation being proven otherwise, but I'm not satisfied that it has been to the extent that we should let this tradition carry on simply for the sake of tradition. Traditions can and should evolve or disappear completely if the historical origin is one of racism, prejudice, intolerance or oppression. But there is also the question of how much people outside of that culture should seek to influence change. No culture is completely clean when it comes to these negative historical elements, so there's a bit of a throwing stones in glass houses element to these topics.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

There are only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

[maarsen]

My parents were Dutch and my memories of Zwarte Piet is that he did not deliver presents but he was responsible for leaving the lump of coal in the stockings of the bad children. My children have no idea who Zwarte Piet is and I have no intention of enlightening them. 

[Seli]

The current depiction of zwarte piet is racist, although more problematic in main stream culture in the Anglosphere than here. The tradition itself isn't necessarily racist, especially because it changes all the time and many of the interpretations are actually quite young. 

For example the lump of coal hasn't been part of the tradition in my lifetime (in the regions I lived in), although we could get a bundle of twigs (and the implicit threat of physical punishment) rather than a present when misbehaving. And even that doesn't seem as big a part of the mythology these years.

[The Marquis de Leech]

The cartoon version:

http://satwcomic.com/black-pete

[Buckwheat]

There is a children's card game called black Pete (črni Peter) - I do not know if it is known in other parts of the world, but the black Pete is always drawn as a chimney sweep person, not a black-skinned one. Maybe it comes from the same tradition?

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

There are only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

I support this usage of a quote from Austin Powers.  I heard this in Michael Caine's voice.  

[SeanF]

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belgium/12037947/Belgian-minister-criticised-after-blacking-up-during-Christmas-ritual.html

Here's the Belgian Minister for Culture, Media, and Youth dressed as Black Pete.

[SeanF]

And, here's the Belgian Foreign Minister dressed as Papa Lazarou.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31962154

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

There are only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

Irony?

[The guy from the Vale]

There is a children's card game called black Pete (črni Peter) - I do not know if it is known in other parts of the world, but the black Pete is always drawn as a chimney sweep person, not a black-skinned one. Maybe it comes from the same tradition?

"Schwarzer Peter" exists in the German-speaking areas, too. I've seen quite a number of fairly racist depictions among those cards, though.

This "Zwarte Piet" figure reminds me of the German/Swiss/Austrian figures accompanying St. Nicholas, called "Krampus", "Schmutzli" or "Knecht Ruprecht", depending on the area. These are usually the scary and punishing counterpart to the friendly and gift-giving St. Nick. Those are usually not displayed as black though, but either as the devil or as a figure wearing dark colors and sporting a black beard (as opposedd to the red or green St. Nick with the white beard...) Perhaps a move in those directions may save the "Zwarte Piet" from itself. But well, we'll see.

[SkynJay]

Irony?

That is an Austen Powers quote Ser.

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

Check that out Ser Scot 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

That is an Austen Powers quote Ser.

Ah.

[Buckwheat]

"Schwarzer Peter" exists in the German-speaking areas, too. I've seen quite a number of fairly racist depictions among those cards, though.

This "Zwarte Piet" figure reminds me of the German/Swiss/Austrian figures accompanying St. Nicholas, called "Krampus", "Schmutzli" or "Knecht Ruprecht", depending on the area. These are usually the scary and punishing counterpart to the friendly and gift-giving St. Nick. Those are usually not displayed as black though, but either as the devil or as a figure wearing dark colors and sporting a black beard (as opposedd to the red or green St. Nick with the white beard...) Perhaps a move in those directions may save the "Zwarte Piet" from itself. But well, we'll see.

Something like Krampus is known down here too (I have never heard the expressions Schmutzli and Knecht Ruprecht) under the name parkelj. He looks like a black devil, usually with a long red tongue and makes a good biscuit-like bread.

[Antonius Pius]

Seems to me Zwarte Piet is definitely a representation of an African slave, given the big red lips and colourful costume. He also metes out the punishment if kids have been bad. And he's the servant of a rich white man. So definitely racist. These last years there have been big discussions about whether the practice should continue. Because it's a festivity for children, there are lots of people who fail to see the harm, but it's a painful matter for a large part of the Dutch community. The Netherlands traditionally has a hard time with owning up to it's slaver's sins, and Black Peter is more salt in those wounds.

More recent "adaptations" of Black Peter have featured Peters of all kinds of bright colours, and caucasian Peters with smears of soot across their faces to reference the chimney part, in attempts to assuage the hurt feelings. Last year saw both a caucasian and African Saint Nicolas working together in another attempt.

[The guy from the Vale]

Yep, Schmutzli and St. Nick distribute those sweet humanoid-shaed breads called Grittibänz in Switzerland, too.

[Jon AS]

There is a children's card game called black Pete (črni Peter) - I do not know if it is known in other parts of the world, but the black Pete is always drawn as a chimney sweep person, not a black-skinned one. Maybe it comes from the same tradition?

That one allegedly goes back to an 18th century robber (known as Schwarzpeter) from the Hunsrück area, who is supposed to have invented the game. This historically didn't stop people making the card game from using racist portrayals of black people for the Black Peter card, which might have been a function of similar names and geographic proximity (assuming there's any truth to the game's origin story at all).

Jemandem den Schwarzen Peter zuschieben is a German expression derived from the game, meaning to pass a problem on to another person.

Yep, Schmutzli and St. Nick distribute those sweet humanoid-shaed breads called Grittibänz in Switzerland, too.

Huh, in (some parts of?) Germany, handing out Weckmänner is St. Martin's job. St. Nick just puts little presents and sweets in children's boots during the night from the 5th to the 6th of December.

[The guy from the Vale]

St. Martin's isn't as big in Switzerland as in Germany, from what I can tell. Tell a Swiss that it's St. Martin's and he'll ask you "St. Who's?". Maybe it's just that in Zurich, Protestantism is by far the dominant denomination.

Back when I was in Kindergarten, we even had Samichlaus (=St. Nicholas) and Schmutzli come to the Kindergarten to tell us whether we'd been naughty or nice. And yeah, St. Nick fills boots here, too... but that always includes at least one Grittibänz.

[Buckwheat]

Huh, in (some parts of?) Germany, handing out Weckmänner is St. Martin's job. St. Nick just puts little presents and sweets in children's boots during the night from the 5th to the 6th of December.

German Wiki says that only happens in Nordrhine-Westphalia and Hessen. St. Nick fills boots with little presents (or a Krampus comes and leaves a stick or coal for bad children) down here too, but eating anthropomorphic bread with a red tongue is done on the 6th December too.

The names in that wiki are great. I think I like Dambedei most.

St. Martin is traditionally seen as the day when grape juice turns into wine, so nowadays it is just an excuse for people to drink copious amonts of wine (and possibly eat duck EDIT: goose).