Zwarte Piet A soot-covered Zwarte Piet accompanying St. Nicholas in a parade in Nijmegen, Netherlands, in 2023. (more) Zwarte Piet legendary figure Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zwarte-Piet Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zwarte-Piet Also known as: Black Peter Written by Meg Matthias Meg Matthias is Senior Video Production Manager at Encyclopædia Britannica. Meg Matthias Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 5, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Also called: Black Pete (Show more) Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Zwarte Piet, is a character in Dutch folklore who serves St. Nicholas (in Dutch, Sinterklaas) in St. Nicholas Day (December 6 and its eve) festivities in the Netherlands. Usually performed in blackface, Zwarte Piet is widely considered a racist caricature, though some defend the character as part of traditional Dutch culture. One of the character’s first appearances is found in Jan Schenkman’s popular children’s book Sint-Nicolaas en zijn Knecht (1850; “Saint Nicholas and His Servant”), written while the Netherlands was still active in the slave trade. Several possible origins exist for the story’s titular, yet unnamed, Black servant. One popular ...(100 of 1050 words)

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