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Santa Claus in Amsterdam

The arrival of the Sinterklaas (Santa Claus) took place on November 5 at the Stopera in Amsterdam. Patrick Mathurin, who will play this year for the second time Sinterklass, said that he wants to make a party there again. The 'party' is kept arriving one week before the "real" Sinterklass. Mathurin said he does not wish to interfere in the Pete discussion. "I want a solution and not get stuck with the problem," he said. Patrick Mathurin (1972), was born in Haiti, is an actor and boxing trainer. After drama school in Arnhem, he studied at the famous Actor's Studio in New York, where he did workshops with Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel.Sinterklaas, a character who shares his roots with Santa Claus, is the central figure of the Dutch winter celebrations. Believed to spend most of his time in Spain, his arrival by boat is staged every year in an elaborate spectacle which is broadcast across the Netherlands. Most of the entertainment, however, is provided by Sinterklaas’s "helpers", the clown-like Black Petes, or Zwarte Pieten. Considered by many to be the best part of the whole tradition, Black Pete has a large fan base in the Netherlands. However, the image of white people with blackened faces has sparked worldwide controversy. (Photo by Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto)

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