You're listening to Rough Translation from NPR, I'm Gregory Warner.

In our last episode, we brought you stories of people around the world

who hope that George Floyd's killing by Minnesota police

might spark change in their own countries in all kinds of ways.

But today, we're going to tell you about one place.

One place where the Black Lives Matter movement

might literally alter the season of St. Nick's.

The Dutch character of Cinter Clause

is a white-bearded guy in red robes who delivers presents each December

to good little children.

But unlike Santa Claus, Cinter Clause shows up on December 5th,

where there's a pointy hat kind of like the Pope,

and he doesn't live in the North Pole, but in Madrid, Spain.

He sales each November by boat to Dutch shores.

And Cinter Clause arrives not with a band of elves,

but with a helper known as Black Peat.

But she's the Claus!

So hard to pee.

Every year, white people in the Netherlands

celebrate the season by painting their faces black,

putting on afro wigs, painting on big red lips,

and talking in a fake afro-cribian accent.

...