Kermis and St. Nicholas
Of all the festivals and occasions of popular rejoicing and merriment in
Holland none can compare with the Kermis and the Festival of St. Nicholas,
which are in many ways peculiarly characteristic of Dutch life and Dutch
love for primitive usage. The Kermis is particularly popular, because of
the manifold amusements which are associated with it, and because it
unites all classes of the population in the common pursuit of
unsophisticated pleasure. As its name implies, the Kermis ('Kerk-mis') has
a religious origin, being named after the chief part of the Church
service, the mass. Just as the Feast of St. Baro received the name
'Bamisse,' so that of the consecration of the church was called the
'Church-mass,' or 'Kerk-mis.' In ancient times, if a church was
consecrated on the name-day of a certain saint the church was also
dedicated to that saint. Such a festival was a chief festival, or 'Hoof
feest,' for a church, and it was not only celebrated with great pomp and
solemnity, but amusements of all kinds were added to give the celebration
a more festive character. In large towns there were Kermissen at different
times of the year in different parishes, for each church was dedicated to
a different saint, so that there were as many dedicatory feasts in a town
as there were churches in it.
At a very early period in the nation's history the Church-masses began to
wear a more worldly character, for the merchants made them an occasion for
introducing their wares and trading with the people, just as they did at
the ordinary 'year-markets.' These year-markets always fell on the same
day as the Kermissen, but they had a different origin. They were held by
permission of the Sovereign, and were first instituted to encourage trade;
but gradually the Kermis and the year-market went hand-in-hand, for the
people could no longer imagine a year-market without the Kermis
amusements, or a Kermis without booths and stalls, so if there was not
sufficient room for the latter to be built on the streets or squares, the
priest allowed them to be put up in the churchyard or sometimes even in
the church. Moreover, if it was not possible to have the year-market in
the same week as the Kermis, then the Kermis was put off to suit the
year-market, and these latter were of great aid to the religious
festivals, for they attracted a greater number of people, and as
dispensations were given for attending the masses both the churches and
the markets benefited. The mass lasted eight days, and the year-market as
long as the Church festival. The Church protected the year-markets, and
rang them in. With the first stroke of the Kermis clock the year-market
was opened and the first dance commenced, followed by a grand procession,
in which all the principal people of the town took part, and when the last
stroke died away white crosses were nailed upon all the bridges, and on
the gates of the town. These served both as a passport and also as a token
of the 'markt vrede' (market peace), so that any one seeing the cross knew
that he might enter the town and buy and sell _ad libitum_, also that his
peace and safety were guaranteed, and that any one who disturbed the
'markt vrede' would be banished from the place, and not be allowed to come
back another year. In some places this yearly market was named, after the
crosses, 'Cruyce-markt.'
Very festive is the appearance of a town in the Kermis week. On the
opening day, at twelve o'clock, the bells of the cathedral or chief
church are set ringing, and this is the sign for the booths to be opened
and the 'Kermispret' to begin. Everywhere tempting stores are displayed
to view, and although a scent of oil and burning fat pervades the air,
nobody seems to mind that, for it only increases the delight the Kermis
has in store for them. The stalls are generally set out in two rows. The
most primitive of these is the stall of hard-boiled eggs and pickled
gherkins, whose owner is probably a Jew, and pleasant sounds his hoarse
voice while praising his wares high above all others. If he does prevail
upon you to come and try one of his eggs and gherkins it only adds more
relish to your meal when he tells you of the man who only paid one cent
for a large gherkin which really cost two, and although he already had
put it in his mouth he made him put the other part back. Or when you go
to eat 'poffertjes,' which look so tempting, and with the first bite find
a quid of tobacco in the inoffensive-looking little morsel, do not let
this trifling incident disturb your equanimity, but try another booth. It
is quite worth your while to stand in front of a 'poffertjeskraam' and
see how they are made. The batter is simply buckwheat-meal mixed with
water, and some yeast to make it light. Over a bright fire of logs is
placed a large, square, iron baking-sheet with deep impressions for the
reception of the batter. On one side sits a woman on a high stool, with a
bowl of the mixture by her side and a large wooden ladle in her hand.
This she dips into the batter, bringing it out full, then with a quick
sweep of the arm she empties its contents into the hollows of the
baking-sheet. A man standing by turns them dexterously one by one with a
steel fork, and a moment later he pricks them six at a time on to the
fork; this he docs four times to get a plateful, and then he hands it
over to another man inside the booth, who adds a pat of butter and a
liberal sprinkling of sugar. The 'wafelkramen' are not so largely
patronized, as the price of these delicacies is rather too high for the
slender purses of the average 'Kermis houwer,' but 'oliebollen'--round
ball-shaped cakes swimming in oil--are within the reach of all, as they
cost but a cent apiece. Servants and their lovers, after satisfying their
appetites with these 'oliebollen,' go and have a few turns in the
roundabouts by way of a change, and then hurry to the fish stall, where
they eat a raw salted herring to counteract the effects of the earlier
dissipation. The more respectable servant, however, turns up her nose at
the herrings, and goes in for smoked eel. These fish-stalls are very
quaint in appearance, for they are hung with garlands of dried
'scharretje' (a white, thin, leathery-looking fish), which dangle in
front, and form a most original decoration. In the towns a separate day
and evening are set apart for the servant classes to go to the fair, and
there is also a day for the _élite_.
At the commencement of the reign of King William III. the whole Court,
including the King and Queen, used to meet at The Hague Kermis on the
Lange Voorhout on Thursday afternoons, between two and four o'clock, and
walk up and down between the double row of stalls; and in the evening of
that day they all visited either the most renowned circus of the season or
went to see the 'Kermis stuk,' or special play acted in fan-time.
The servants' evening, as it is held in Rotterdam, is the most
characteristic. It is an evening shunned by the more respectable people,
for the 'Kermisgangers are a very rowdy lot. They amuse themselves chiefly
by running along the streets in long rows, arm-in-arm, singing
'Hossen--hossen-hossen!' They also treat each other to 'Nieuw rood met
suiker'--black currants preserved in gin with sugar--until they are all
quite tipsy, and woe to any quiet pedestrian who has the misfortune to
pass their way, for with loud 'Hi-has' they encircle him and make him
'hos' with them. The evening is commonly called the 'Aalbessen
(black-currant) hos.'
[Illustration: Kermis: 'Hossen-Hossen--Hi-Ha!' _(After the Picture of Van
Geldrop_)]
An equally curious but not so bad a custom is the Groninger 'Koek eten.'
All Groningers are fond of cake, and the 'Groninger kauke' is a widespread
and very tasty production; but for this special purpose is used the
'ellekoek,' a very long thin cake, which, as its name implies, is sold by
the yard. It is very tough, and just thin enough to hold in a large mouth,
and when a man chooses a girl to keep Kermis with him they must first see
whether they will suit one another as 'Vryer and Vryster' by eating
'ellekoek.' This is done in the following manner. They stand opposite one
another, and each begins at an end and eats towards the other. They may
not touch the cake with their hands, but must hold it between their teeth
all the while they are eating, and if they are unable to accomplish this
feat and kiss when they get to the middle it is a sure sign that they are
not suited to one another, and so the partnership is not concluded. In
some parts of Friesland and in Voorburg, one of the many villages near The
Hague, there is another cake custom, the 'Koekslän,' which is a sort of
cake lottery. The cakes are all put out on large blocks, which are higher
at the sides than in the middle, and, for twopence, any one who likes may
try his luck and see if he can break the cake in two by striking it with a
stout stick provided by the stall-keeper for the purpose. It is necessary
to do this in one blow, for a second try involves the payment of another
fee. He who succeeds carries off the broken cake, and receives a second
one as a prize. Some men are very clever at this, and manage to carry off
a good many prizes.
Just as the Kermis is rung in by the bells, so also it is tolled out
again. This, however, is not an official proceeding, but a custom among
the schoolboys of the Gymnasium and Higher Burgher Schools. At The Hague,
on the last day of the fair, all the 'schooljeugd' assembled in the Lange
Voorhout, dressed in black, just as they would dress for a funeral, while
four of them carried a bier, hung with wreaths and black draperies. On
this bier was supposed to rest all that remained of the Kermis. In front
of the bier walked a boy ringing a large bell, and proclaiming, 'De Kermis
is dood, de Kermis wordt begraven' ('The Kermis is dead, and is going to
be buried'). Behind the bier came all the other boys with the most
mournful expression upon their faces they could muster for the occasion,
and thus they carried the 'dead fair' through the principal streets of the
town, and at last buried it in the 'Scheveningsche Boschjes.' But this
custom is now a thing of the past, for the Kermis at The Hague has been
abolished, even as it has been abolished in most of the other towns
throughout the kingdom, for all authorities were agreed that fair-time
promoted vice and drunkenness, and the old-fashioned Kermis is now only to
be found in Rotterdam, Leyden, Delft, and some of the smaller provincial
towns and villages.
The 6th of December is the day dedicated to St. Nicholas, and its vigil is
one of the most characteristic of Dutch festivals. It is an evening for
family reunions, and is filled with old recollections for the elders and
new delights for the younger people and children. Just as English people
give presents at Christmas time, so do the Dutch at St. Nicholas, only in
a different way, for St. Nicholas presents must be hidden and disguised as
much as possible, and be accompanied by rhymes explaining what the gift is
and for whom St. Nicholas intends it. Sometimes a parcel addressed to one
person will finally turn out to be for quite a different member of the
family than the one who first received it, for the address on each wrapper
in the various stages of unpacking makes it necessary for the parcel to
change hands as many times as there are papers to undo. The tiniest
things are sent in immense packing-cases, and sometimes the gifts are
baked in a loaf of bread or hidden in a turf, and the longer it takes
before the present is found the more successful is the 'surprise.'
The greatest delight to the giver of the parcel is to remain unknown as
long as possible, and even if the present is sent from one member of the
family to another living in the same house the door-bell is always rung by
the servant before she brings the parcel in, to make believe that it has
come from some outsider; and if a parcel has to be taken to a friend's
house it is very often entrusted to a passer-by, with the request to leave
it at the door and ring the bell. In houses where there are many children,
some of the elders dress up as the good Bishop St. Nicholas and his black
servant. The children are always very much impressed by the knowledge St.
Nicholas shows of all their shortcomings, for he usually reminds them of
their little failings, and gives them each an appropriate lecture.
Sometimes he makes them repeat a verse to him or asks them about their
lessons, all of which tends to make the moment of his arrival looked
forward to with much excitement and some trembling, for St. Nicholas
generally announces at what time he is to be expected, so that all may be
in readiness for his reception.
On the eventful evening a large white sheet is laid out upon the floor in
the middle of the room, and round it stand all the children with sparkling
eyes and flushed faces, eagerly scrutinizing the hand of the clock. As
soon as it points to five minutes before the expected time of the Saint's
arrivai they begin to sing songs to welcome him to their midst, and ask
him to give as liberally as was his wont, meanwhile praising his goodness
and greatness in the most eloquent terms. The first intimation the
children get of the Saint's arrival is a shower of sweets bursting in
upon them. Then, amid the general scramble which ensues, St. Nicholas
suddenly makes his appearance in full episcopal vestments, laden with
presents, while in the rear stands his black servant with an open sack in
one hand in which to put all the naughty boys and girls, and a rod in the
other which he shakes vigorously from time to time. When the presents have
all been distributed, and St. Nicholas has made his adieus, promising to
come back the following year, and the children are packed to bed to dream
of all the fun they have had, the older people begin to enjoy themselves.
First they sit round the table which stands in the middle of the room
under the lamp, and partake of tea and 'speculaas,' until their own
'surprises' begin to arrive. At ten O'clock the room is cleared, the
dust-sheet which was laid down for the children's scramble is taken up,
and all the papers and shavings, boxes and baskets that contained presents
are removed from the floor; the table is spread with a white table-cloth;
'letterbanket' with hot punch or milk chocolate is provided for the
guests; and, when all have taken their seats, a dish of boiled chestnuts,
steaming hot, is brought in and eaten with butter and salt.
Cigars, the usual resource of Dutchmen when they do not know what to do
with themselves, do not form a feature of this memorable evening
(memorable for this fact also), not so much out of deference to the ladies
who are in their midst as for the reason that they are too fully occupied
with other and even pleasanter employments.
[Illustration: St. Nicholas Going His Rounds on December 5th.]
The personality of St. Nicholas, as now known by Dutch children, is of
mixed origin, for not merely the Bishop of Lycië, but Woden, the Frisian
god of the elements and of the harvest, figures largely in the legends
attached to his name. Woden possessed a magic robe which enabled him
when arrayed in it to go to any place in the world he wished in the
twinkling of an eye. This same power is attached to the 'Beste tabbaard'
of St. Nicholas, as may be seen from the verse addressed to him:--
'Sint Niklaas, goed, heilig man
Trek je beste tabberd an
Ryd er mee naar Amsterdam
Van Amsterdam naar Spanje.'
[St. Nicholas, good, holy man
Put on your best gown
Ride with it to Amsterdam,
From Amsterdam to Spain.]
The horse Sleipnir, on whose back Woden took his autumn ride through the
world, has been converted into the horse of St. Nicholas, on which the
Saint rides about over the roofs of the houses to find out where the good
and where the naughty children live. In pagan days a sheaf of corn was
always left out on the field in harvest time for Woden's horse, and the
children of the present day still carry out the same idea by putting a
wisp of hay in their shoes for the four-footed friend of the good Saint.
The black servant who now always accompanies St. Nicholas is an
importation from America, for the Pilgrim Fathers carried their St.
Nicholas festival with them to the New Country, and some of their
descendants who came to live in Holland brought 'Knecht Ruprecht' with
them, and so added another feature to the St. Nicholas festivity.
What the Dutch originally knew of the life and works of 'Dominus Sanctus
Nicolaus' was told them by the Spaniards at the time of their influence in
Holland, and so it is believed that the Saint was born at Myra, in Lycie,
and lived in the commencement of the fourth century, in the reign of
Constantine the Great. From his earliest youth he showed signs of great
piety and self-denial, refusing, it is said, even when quite a tiny child,
to take food more than once a day on fast days! His whole life was devoted
to doing good, and even after his death he is credited with performing
many miracles. Maidens and children chiefly claim him as their patron
saint, but he also guards sailors, and legend asserts that many a ship on
the point of being wrecked or stranded has been saved by his timely
influence. During his lifetime the circumstance took place for which he
was ever afterwards recognized as the maidens' guardian. A certain man had
lost all his money, and to rid himself from his miserable situation he
determined to sell his three beautiful daughters for a large sum. St.
Nicholas heard of his intention, and went to the man's house in the night,
taking with him some of the money left him by his parents, and dropped it
through a broken window-pane. The following night St. Nicholas again took
a purse of gold to the poor man's house, and managed to drop it through
the chimney, but when he reached the man's door on the third night it was
suddenly opened from the inside, and the poor man rushed out, caught St.
Nicholas by his robe, and, falling down on his knees before him,
exclaimed, 'O Nicholas, servant of the Lord, wherefore dost thou hide thy
good deeds?' and from that time forth every one knew it was St. Nicholas
who brought presents during the night. In pictures one often sees St.
Nicholas represented with the threefold gift in his hand, in the form of
three golden apples, fruits of the tree of life. Another very well known
Dutch picture is St. Nicholas standing by a tub, from which are emerging
three bags. About fifty years ago such a picture was to be seen in
Amsterdam on the corner house between the Dam and the Damrak, with the
inscription, 'Sinterklaes.' The story runs that three boys once lost their
way in a dark wood, and begged a night's lodging with a farmer and his
wife. While the children were asleep the wicked couple murdered them,
hoping to rob them of all they had with them, but they soon discovered
that the lads had no treasure at all, and so, to guard against detection,
they salted the dead bodies, and put them in the tub with the pigs' flesh.
That same afternoon, while the farmer was at the market, St. Nicholas
appeared to him in his episcopal robes, and asked him whether he had any
pork to sell. The man replied in the negative, when St. Nicholas rejoined,
'What of the three young pigs in your tub? 'This so frightened the farmer
that he confessed his wicked deed, and implored forgiveness. St. Nicholas
thereupon accompanied him to his house, and waved his staff over the
meat-tub, and immediately the three boys stepped forth well and hearty,
and thanked St. Nicholas for restoring them to life.
The birch rod, which naughty Dutch children have still to fear, has also a
legendary origin, and is not merely an imaginary addition to the
attributes of the Saint. A certain abbot would not allow the responses of
St. Nicholas to be sung in his church, notwithstanding the repeated
requests of the monks of his order, and he dismissed them at last with the
words, 'I consider this music worldly and profane, and shall never give
permission for it to be used in my church.' These words so enraged St.
Nicholas that he came down from the heavens at night when the abbot was
asleep, and, dragging him out of bed by the hair of his head, beat him
with a birch rod he carried in his hand till he was more dead than alive.
The lesson proved salutary, and from that day forth the responses of St.
Nicholas formed a part of the service.
The St. Nicholas festival has always been kept with the greatest splendour
at Amsterdam. It was there that the festival was first instituted, and the
first church built which was dedicated to his name; for when Gysbrecht
III., Heer van Amstel, had the Amstel dammed, many people came to live
there, and houses arose up on all sides, and naturally, when the want of a
church was felt, and it was built, the good Nicholas was chosen the patron
Saint of the town. On his name-day masses were held in the church, and the
usual Kermis observed, Booths and stalls were set out in two rows all
along the Damrak, where the people of Amsterdam could buy sweets and toys
for their children. Special cakes were baked in the form of a bishop, and
named, after St. Nicholas, 'Klaasjes.' They were looked upon as an
offering dedicated to the Saint according to the old custom of their
forefathers, which can be again traced to the service of Woden.
Not only Amsterdammers, however, but people from all the neighbouring
towns flocked to the St. Nicholas market, and followed the Amsterdammers'
example of filling their children's shoes with cakes and toys, always
telling them the old legend that St. Nicholas himself brought these
presents through the chimney and put them in their shoes. During and after
the Reformation this now popular festival had to bear a great deal of
opposition, for authors and preachers alike agreed that it was a foolish
feast, and led to superstition and idolatry. Hence the decree was issued,
in the year 1622, that no cakes might be baked and no Kermis held, and
even the children were forbidden to put out their shoes as they were
accustomed to do. But for once in a way people were sensible enough to
understand that giving their children a pleasant evening had nothing to do
either with superstition or idolatry, and so the festival lived on with
Protestants as well as Roman Catholics, although one point was gained by
the Reformers, in that St. Nicholas was no longer looked upon as holy and
worshipped, but was only honoured as the patron Saint and guardian of
their children.
The fairs which once belonged to the festival of St. Nicholas are no
longer held in the street, at any rate in the larger towns, but the
exchange of presents is as universal as ever, and the shops look as
festive as shops in England do at Christmas-time. In many other ways,
indeed, St. Nicholas corresponds to Christmas in other countries, and
Protestants and Catholics alike observe it, although there is no religions
significance in the festival. The season, too, has its special cakes and
sweets. There are the flat hard cakes, made in the shapes of birds,
beasts, and fishes--the so-called 'Klaasjes'--for they are no longer baked
only in the form of a bishop, as they used to be. Then there is
'Letterbanket,' made, as the name implies, in the form of letters, so that
any one who likes can order his name in cake, and the 'Marsepein'
(marzipan) is now made in all possible shapes, though formerly only in
heart-shaped sweets, ornamented with little turtle-doves made of pink
sugar, or a flaming heart on a little altar. These sweets, it is said,
were invented by St. Nicholas himself, when he was a bishop, for the
benefit and use of lovers; for St. Nicholas held the office of
'Hylik-maker,' and many a couple were united by him. That is why the
confectioners bake 'Vryers and Vrysters' of cake at St. Nicholas time. If
a young man wanted to find out whether a girl cared for him, he used to
send her a heart of 'Marsepein' and a 'Vryer' of cake. Should she accept
this present he knew he had nothing to fear, but if she declined to accept
it he knew there was no hope for him in that quarter. These large dolls of
cake were usually decorated with strips of gold paper pasted over them,
but this fashion has gone out of use, and has caused the death of another
old custom; for it used to be a great treat for children and young people
to go and help the confectioners (who wrote all their customers an
invitation for that evening) on the 4th of December to prepare their goods
for the 'étalage.' Any cake that broke while in their hands they were
allowed to eat, and no doubt many did break.
It is not likely that this celebration of St. Nicholas will ever be
abolished, and the shopkeepers do their best to perpetuate it by offering
new attractions for the little folk every year. Figures of St. Nicholas,
life-size, are placed before their windows; and some even have a man
dressed like the good Saint, who goes about the streets, mounted on a
white steed, while behind him follows a cart laden with parcels, which
have been ordered and are left in this way at the different houses. Crowds
of children, singing, shouting, and clapping their hands, follow in the
rear, adding to the noise and bustle of the already crowded streets, but
people are too good-natured at St. Nicholas time to expostulate. Smiling
faces, mirth, and jollity abound everywhere, and good feeling unites all
men as brethren on this most popular of all the Dutch festivals.