![]() He has not lost his connection to Africa he is still always portrayed by a person in blackface, and often wears gold earrings. Nowadays there is still not one universal image of Black Peter, but he has lost his large stick and is usually dressed in a Renaissance page style costume with short pants, stockings, and a cap with a large feather. Nicholas sent naughty children to him to be beaten. ![]() He was known by a variety of names: Klaubauf, Krampus, Grampus, Bartel. In parts of central Europe like Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, the character of Black Peter was a more like a monster, with horns, long hair, and a red tongue. If the children had been bad, Peter wouldn’t remove the hay and would leave a rod in place of a gift. Peter’s job was to remove the hay and carrots from the shoes that had been left by children underneath their chimneys, and to drop candy and gifts in their place. Many of the illustrations took on racist symbolism, often showing Black Peter in shackles and tattered garments. Nicholas, Black Peter was now thought to be a slave who had become the willing servant of St. Rather than the devil that had been made a servant of St. In the nineteenth century, at the height of imperialism, he was alternately portrayed as an Indian and an African in traditional dress. Originally a stereotypical Spaniard in pirate garb, due to the political situation in Holland at the time, his later incarnations would also reflect popular politics. Nicholas has always been represented in much the same way, similar to the original saint in long robes with a staff, tall mitre hat, and white beard, Black Peter has been depicted in many different ways. Nicholas dealt with the more pleasant sides of Christmas. Thus it fell to Black Peter to hand out the punishments, while St. Nicholas, being a representative of God, had beaten the devil and made him his servant. At the time “Black Peter” was a euphemism for the devil, and it was thought that St. ![]() The large bag that he held was rumored to be used for stuffing children in for the trip back to Spain. He was often represented holding a large stick for this purpose. Black Peter was also associated with pirates, a common threat to naughty Dutch children was that he would take them to a pirate’s hide out and beat them. His dark appearance is supposed to suggest a Spaniard, a reflection of Spain’s occupation of the Netherlands at the time. Nicholas would hand out presents to good children, while it fell to Black Peter to dole out coal (and sometimes knocks on the head) to children who misbehaved.īlack Peter, or Zwarte Piet in Dutch, began in Holland in the 15th century. Tall and gaunt with a dark beard and hair, Black Peter was associated with the punitive side of Christmas. Named Black Peter, this companion was the physical opposite of St. Nicholas had a much more menacing assistant. Before elves and eight tiny reindeer, St. ![]()
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