Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Dutch community keeps centuries-old Sinterklaas tradition

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Dutch community keeps centuries-old Sinterklaas tradition

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 12/04/2010

Dutch communities in Jakarta maintained their centuries tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicholas, in a recent celebration at the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah park in East Jakarta.

Santa in town: Children jostle with each other to get close
to and shake hands with Sinterklaas at Caping Gunung
restaurant at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta,
on Friday. Sinterklaas is scheduled to visit the Dutch
International School in Jakarta. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

At the event, hundreds of children from the Dutch International School (NIS) and their parents sang and played while waiting for Sinterklaas to come along with his assistants, the Zwarte Piets or the dark-skinned Piets, to shower them with presents.

The name day of Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra (in modern-day Turkey) the patron saint of — among others — children, falls annually on Dec. 6, but according to Dutch popular culture, the saint comes from Spain.

“In the Dutch culture, we celebrate him on [Saint Nicholas’ eve] every Dec. 5 and he arrives two weeks in advance by boat, sort of like the Christmas Santa Claus, but from Spain,” NIS vice principal Sander Fisser said.

“In two weeks children can put one of their shoes in front of the chimney and at night one of the Zwarte Piets will leave presents when they’re asleep,” he added.

According to Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas has a big book containing the list of children who have been good throughout the year and only they receive presents from him.

Indonesian children in the 1970s were taught that good kids would get presents from Sinterklaas, while the naughty ones would be punished by Zwarte Piets.

During Sinterklaas celebrations, Dutch children also sing traditional songs asking Sinterklaas to leave presents in their shoes.

Fisser said the annual celebration also served as an excuse for Dutch families in the city to get together, and for parents to both relive their childhood memories and to pass the tradition on to their children.

“Every child in the Netherlands believes in [the existence of] Sinterklaas,” Fisser said.

He added that most children believed in Sinterklaas until they were eight.

Fisser said Dutch people in Jakarta had to make a couple of adjustments to maintain the tradition.

“In the Netherlands, it’s winter time and it’s cold. In the evening, it starts getting dark at five,” he said.

“Furthermore, because of the winter, we have chimneys.

“So here, we have to adjust, like putting the shoes in front of a door [instead of around the chimney] and some families even make some fake chimneys,” he added.

One of the parents, Margit Gerouw, said that back home, the celebrations were a bigger affair.

“Sinterklaas comes to the city and the whole city welcomes him,” she said.

Margit said that the celebration brought back many childhood memories and that even as an adult, she enjoyed it.

“I think even adults are still nervous when they see Sinterklaas,” she said.