The Feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December. The feast is celebrated annually with the giving of gifts on St. Nicholas’ Eve, 5 December in the Netherlands, and on the morning of 6 December, Saint Nicholas Day in Belgium, Luxembourg, Western Germany, Northern France (French Flanders, Lorraine, Alsace and Artois), and Hungary. The tradition is also celebrated in some territories of the former Dutch Empire, including Aruba and Surinam.
Sinterklaas is one of the sources of the popular Christmas icon of Santa Claus.
Needless to say, the celebrations during World War II had a different form than in standard times. The feast was also used by the Nazis as a powerful propaganda tool.
Reichs Commissioner Dr. Seyss-Inquart, during Sinterklaas in Leerdam, organized a Sinterklaas party for poor children. He also visited the Leerdam glass factories and with Ir. Pijnakker visited a department of the Leerdam glass factories.
On 1 November 1941, Sinterklaas arrived in Eindhoven by boat; he shook hands, got into an open carriage, and made an entrance. A wagon loaded with parcels drove alongside Sinterklaas while many children were in the large crowd that cheers Sinterklaas on a balcony. During World War II, the newsreels of the Polygoon and Profilti film factories were under the supervision of the German occupier. Polygoon and Profilti had to collaborate with the German film rental agency Tobis. As of 1 January 1941, the newsreel was renamed Tobis Nieuws. In the Autumn of 1944, Polygoon and Profilti took turns producing newsreels under this name.
Sources
https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/bron/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.openbeelden.nl%2Fmedia%2F657533
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