Dobleve

Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing David Sedaris read his short story “6 to 8 Blackmen” (I don’t know its official title), Live, in Olympia, Washington. (I was with one other American, a very recent immigrant from Sweden and a Filipino man. The other American and I nearly fell out of our chairs laughing but the other two just stared at us — I think in an embarrassed kind of way. We took this to mean that humor really is cultural, but maybe we really were just embarrassing…)

In the narrative Sedaris re-tells a conversation he had with a cab driver in Holland about Christmas customs there. I cannot do it justice so just please listen to it, but among other things, the cab driver told how in Holland, traditionally, Santa has 6 – 8 helpers when giving out gifts (and doing other unique-to-Holland kinds of things. (I really don’t want to give it all away.)) Of course originally the helpers were Moorish slaves; now, however they are something like black “helpers”.

Brian and I are going to Amsterdam tomorrow and there’s a chance we’ll see the parade this weekend when Santa (Sinterklaas) arrives from Spain (yep! But as I say, I really don’t want to spoil the story) with his 6 – 8 “helpers” who now apparently parade in “blueface”, (something much like blackface) because blackface is now too controversial.

However it will go down I really hope we get to see Sinterklaas arrive in Amsterdam on a boat, then parade around town on a giant white horse with his 6 – 8 blueface helpers in tow…