so aurora and possible other german/dutch members

what did you do for sinterklaas?

 

The hell? Hungarians have it too. I got my chocolates today after the big family lunch. Hmm English chocolates hmm :3

 

We have Santa, but still... I had a 4 hour lecture followed by an exam followed by another lecture :/

 

got a buncha gifts, gave away a buncha gifts. Family stuff.

 

I ate some speculaas. It was quite good.
That will be all.

We haven't really done much about it for years and years. Christmas is the big thing in this family. And I'm not even baptized. >_>

 

ok

 

Why do you need to be baptised to enjoy christmas?

 

Because it's supposed to be a Christian thing? :/
Always felt a bit weird to get a bunch of presents, but nothing more. It's like presents and a holiday are the sole purpose of christmas to me. Isn't that really wrong or something?

 

Dude you just described how 90% of Americans see it. Not kidding. It's a merchant holiday now. Has been for so long.

And again about 90% of us see it as a time to spend with family as well.

 

at least the media still portray it as a celebration of peace.


Same cant be said about Valentine's day and love

 

Again merchant holiday.

 

Also, wasn't Christmas based on some pagan holiday?

 

Only the date, as far as I know. People who "invent" new religions tend to choose dates of existing holidays to make the transition more easy.

Also, Sinterklaas is the biggest merchant holiday of them all. It's all about how much presents people bought and such. Oh, and the 543156 tv shows about it bring in plenty of cash as well. I mean, how many people actually know what st Nicolaas was actually a Turkish man who made toys for poor children, in an attempt to make their lives a bit better? Now it's only a "who has to most stuff" holiday, money money money. Exactly the thing Nicolaas tried to avoid, by making poor children feel just as happy as spoiled rich folk.

Oh well, nobody probably cares for this anyway.

 

There aren't any presents involved in the Hungarian variant of it. Children just get some santa shaped chocolates, though "regular" chocolates are gaining more and more prominence as the figure shaped ones tend to taste worse.

It's a pity it's so bad over there.

 

I think I'd love to spend my holidays over there. Can't stand this commercial crap any longer.

 

Hey ! Don't forget the Belgians !! ME !! We feest Sinterklaas too. Sinterklaas and Saint-Nicolas are the same guy.

Of course we don't forget SantaClaus (Père Noël) on December 21.

 

You guys celebrate christmas on the 21st?

 

orthodox christians celebrate it somewhere in januari. The date of christmas is less pinpointed then you'd think.

 

Oops ! A mistake I did on the keyboard. December 25 is the date.

I don't celebrate Christmas anyway, so may Santa Claus or Père Noël, or Sinterklaas or Saint-Nicolas come I'll ask them to give me chocolate and then leave me alone.

 

I ought to read up on why it's Jesus* that comes on the 24th in Hungary :wacko:

*to be more precise in English it would be Jesusette