Sinterklaas Arrival

KAMPEN, THE NETHERLANDS - NOVEMBER 17: Arrival of Sinterklaas in the city of Kampen with his helpers the Black Petes on a sailing ship on the IJssel 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)