A few hours after the Christmas Fair at BISS Puxi, a very special guest arrived on the school premises. The one and only Sinterklaas, who visits Dutch and Belgian families every year in December, paid the Shanghai Dutch School his annual visit on Saturday. He was welcomed by excited students and parents as he arrived at the Primary Gate.
In Stage One, Sinterklaas took a seat and enjoyed, together with the Dutch and Belgian community, the performances of the Shanghai Dutch School students. Each student received a gift and the traditional Sinterklaas treats called pepernoten. After the wonderful showcase of our students’ works and talents, our families enjoyed a wide range of Dutch food and snacks while listening to classic Sinterklaas songs.
Sinterklaas must be the biggest event that our Shanghai Dutch School celebrates each year. The event is not only about Sinterklaas’ visit and the Showcase, but also about all the activities leading up to it. The students have been preparing this event with great enthusiasm and have used their age-appropriate skills to create something exciting for the celebration, from pre-nursery to IB. Some younger non-native Dutch students learned to sing their first Sinterklaas song, older Primary students wrote letters and poems, while in Secondary, research skills and literature lessons were focused on the tradition of Sinterklaas. All of this led up to the great event on Saturday. It was a pleasure to see our students perform and our parents experiencing how their heritage was brought to life by their children.
The Shanghai Dutch School feels very grateful for the tremendous support BISS Puxi gives us to celebrate important cultural events like this and for understanding the value it has for our community. Celebrations like this truly strengthen our sense of belonging, especially while we’re living abroad. Once again, we experienced the joyful benefits of being part of an international community. We’re also extremely grateful for our lovely Dutch and Belgian community that always supports us and for the amazing help we received for this event.
