Several people disguised as Zwarte Piet pass in front of the demonstration of the anti-racist group in Zaandam, Netherlands on 17 November 2018. Saint Nicholas arrives one more year from Spain to Netherlands. This year the national celebration of this festivity has been in the town of Zaandam, famous for its picturesque windmills. From there, St. Nicholas will depart to the rest of Dutch cities. Once again the celebration has been affected by the controversy created by anti-racist groups that accuse this tradition of having racist components. Specifically, in the character of Zwarte Piet, a character who appears as a black man who serves as a servant to St. Nicholas. Against the anti-racists, the defenders of the tradition argue that Zwarte Piet is not a black man, but that his face is black because of the soot from the chimney where he comes down to leave gifts to children. (Photo by Nacho Calonge/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
