Mankjes, a swaantje and bolle dobbelen

Days before Saint Nicholas the children put out hay and rye bread for the grey horse. Mankjes, their shoes, they took to uncles and aunts, and collected them filled again on 7 December. After the Amsteldiepdijk was built that became 6 December: Sint no longer had to come by boat across the water. When he did come by, and that rarely happened, he rattled a chain. The sound was enough.

They sang: "Sinterklaas, goed heilig man, trek je beste sloffen an, gaan er mee naar Amsterdam, van Amsterdam naar Spanje, appeltjes van Oranje, peertjes van de hoge boom, Sinterklaas die goeie oom." Instead of sloffen sometimes tabberd. That was probably a word nobody could explain properly any more, and sloffen took its place. For the feast people baked toai and currant bread in the shape of a swaantje.

The older boys went bolle dobbelen, at Saint Nicholas and on other feast days. The innkeeper went round with the smakbord, usually a table drawer, and called: "Ien man, wie is twie?" Then "twie man, wie is drie?", and so on until there were six. Each put in a stuiver. Whoever threw highest got a currant bun. The art was to go home with a bag full of currant buns.