Zwarte Piet

 "Traditions in Blackface: Unmasking Zwarte Piet and Other Dark Histories We Still Celebrate"  

By Candace Goodman | Investigative Reporter for The Good Blog

“He had coal on his face.”

That’s what they’ll say.

“That’s not Blackface—it’s soot from the chimney.”

But peel back the layers of face paint, costumes, and candy-coated excuses, and what remains is a painful truth. Some of our beloved global traditions—those wrapped in ribbons and nostalgia—carry with them centuries of racial trauma, dehumanization, and colonialist violence. Today, we pull back the curtain on one of the most controversial holiday figures in Europe: Zwarte Piet—and why his story isn’t just about festive folklore, but about reckoning with a colonial past that still casts its shadow in 2025.

Zwarte Piet: A Holiday Tradition or Racial Caricature?

In the Netherlands and parts of Belgium, early December brings Sinterklaas, a Santa-like figure, who travels from Spain to deliver gifts. By his side is Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), his so-called "helper." Traditionally depicted in blackface with oversized red lips, golden hoop earrings, and curly wigs, Zwarte Piet has been a fixture of Dutch celebrations for over a century.

But this depiction isn’t innocent—it’s rooted in Dutch colonial history.

Dr. Gloria Wekker, professor of Gender and Ethnicity at Utrecht University, has spent her life unpacking the Netherlands’ "white innocence" narrative. “Zwarte Piet is not about joy—it’s about control,” she explains. “It romanticizes a power dynamic in which Blackness is subordinate, clownish, and othered.”

The modern defense? That Zwarte Piet’s face is black because of chimney soot. Yet the elaborate afro wigs, exaggerated features, and minstrel-like behavior paint a different picture—one far more aligned with 19th-century minstrel shows and slave tropes than with holiday magic.

Despite ongoing protests, many Dutch citizens remain fiercely protective of the tradition. In fact, opposition groups like "Kick Out Zwarte Piet" have faced police violence, arrests, and public backlash. It’s an uncomfortable reflection of how deeply racism can be woven into national identity—and how fiercely it’s defended when masked as “tradition.”

The King Who Chopped Hands—and the Candy Store That Profits

Travel just a bit further back in European history, and you’ll find an even more harrowing figure: King Leopold II of Belgium.

From 1885 to 1908, Leopold ruled over the Congo Free State—not as a monarch, but as a brutal colonizer. During his reign, it's estimated that 10 million Congolese people died due to forced labor, disease, and famine. His troops would amputate the hands of men, women, and children who didn’t meet rubber collection quotas.

And yet, in 2025, Belgian candy stores still sell chocolate hands.

Originally meant to symbolize Antwerp’s founding legend, these confections now carry a grotesque double meaning—a sweetened souvenir of severed Black limbs. Activists have called for their removal or contextualization, but they still sit on shelves, unchallenged, during peak tourist seasons.

How can a country mourn genocide while munching on its iconography?

Traditions with Tarnished Roots: A Global Reckoning

The Netherlands and Belgium aren’t alone in clinging to problematic traditions. Around the world, cultures are being forced to confront rituals that can no longer be excused as "a product of their time."

Mammy Dolls in the American South: Once sold as toys and home décor, these grotesque caricatures of Black women—complete with red lips and kerchiefs—still appear in antique stores, estate sales, and even online marketplaces. Their continued existence quietly endorses slavery-era propaganda.

The Golliwog in the UK: Created in the 19th century, the golliwog was a blackface doll used in advertising and literature. Despite widespread criticism, some British citizens still fight to preserve it as “a symbol of childhood.” In 2023, a UK pub owner made headlines for displaying golliwogs proudly—and was defended by members of Parliament.

Obon’s “Blackened Face” Dancers in Japan: In some regions, the traditional bon-odori festival still features performers darkening their faces. Though the practice isn’t rooted in the same racist history as Blackface in the West, global dialogue is encouraging Japanese communities to reconsider how it may be perceived—and what it inadvertently perpetuates.

When Nostalgia Becomes Complicity

Traditions are not inherently sacred. They are choices, repeated over time, that can be unlearned, reshaped, or retired entirely.

There’s no denying the emotional pull of childhood rituals or national customs. But in 2025, we must ask: At whose expense are these memories preserved? What does it mean when entire nations choose to ignore the pain of others just to feel the comfort of familiarity?

I spoke with Angela Obasi, a cultural anthropologist and Black Dutch activist, who put it best:  
"Every year, we ask children to smile as we parade their trauma through the streets. That’s not culture. That’s cruelty dressed in costume."

A Farewell to Folklore—And a Call to Conscience

The stories we tell matter. The symbols we celebrate matter. And so do the people hurt by them.

Zwarte Piet isn’t just about paint—it’s about power. Leopold’s chocolate hands aren’t just history—they’re hypocrisy. And when we fail to interrogate these practices, we don’t just preserve the past—we prolong the pain.

In every nation, in every culture, there comes a moment where we must decide: Do we protect our comfort, or do we honor the truth?

To those who claim this is all too serious for a children’s holiday, I ask: Isn’t that exactly the point?

Children are watching. And we have a chance—no, a responsibility—to teach them better.

This year, let’s stop celebrating cruelty in costume.

Let’s tell a different story.