Netherlands in the 50s, the 1850s
Perhaps the most controversial of Christmas traditions rests on the story of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) in the Netherlands. Back in the 1850s, before slavery had the chance to be aboilshed, a children’s story depicting Santa Claus with a slave was created by Jan Schenkman. The children’s story became a Dutch tradition and people started to dress as Black Pete every year. It was symbolic for a time and then became incredibly controversial with the ever-growing biracial population.