Sinterklaas Arrival

KAMPEN, THE NETHERLANDS - NOVEMBER 17: Arrival of Sinterklaas in the city of Kampen where the old Saint is riding his horse through the crowded shopping street surrounded by his helpers the Black Petes on November 17, 2018 in Kampen, The Netherlands. Sinterklaas is a traditional Dutch holiday for children that is celebrated on the 5th of December. In recent year there is a strong discussion about the role of Zwarte Piet in this culutural tradition. The Dutch tradition of "Zwarte Piet" ("Black Pete"), in which people wear blackface makeup to portray a folkloric servant of Saint Nicholas, has been the source of increasing controversy for what its critics describe as racist caricature. In 2015, a United Nations committee urged the Netherlands, where the tradition is most widespread, to drop the character, finding that “the character of Black Pete is sometimes portrayed in a manner that reflects negative stereotypes of people of African descent and is experienced by many people of African descent as a vestige of slavery." (Photo by Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images)