Pues bien, en Holanda da la impresión de que no lo saben!
Parece que los despotas y monarcas españoles que ocuparon este pequeño país durante un siglo influyeron en el punto de vista de los locales, metiendoles en la cabeza que Santa Claus (Sinterklass en holandés) es español!! El susodicho no lleva un sombrerito al estilo pitufo sino que aquí lo pintan como si fuera un obispo, y va siempre acompañado de un hombre de color. Da que pensar esta curiosa adaptación.
Es probablemente una coincidencia, pero lo celebran la víspera del día de la constitución ejpañola...
Otro detalle: Santa llega en barco... desde Madrid.

Una (irónica) explicación más detallada:
"Sinterklaas, the legendary man, looks like an old wise bloke with long white hair and similar beard. He is dressed like a bishop and has a golden (shepherd) staff in his hand. He also carries a large leather bound book, with gold print, in which it is written which children have been good and which have not. In the "good old days" kids used to be threatened to be whipped when they had been bad, with a bunch of twigs (a "roe"), after which they would be put in a burlap bag to be shipped to Sinterklaas' residence in Madrid, Spain. As parenting grew softer over the years, this valuable tradition was lost, except in some of the Sinterklaas songs. Also, people nowadays pay big money for holidays in Spain, and for whipping too for that matter. The kids are smart enough to know that, so the effectiveness of the punishment has decreased anyway."