When: Annually, November 29.
On November 29 every year, one of the oddest days takes place and that is Sint Pannekoek (Saint Pancake). It is not an official (religious) holiday as it is a consequence of a Dutch comic series and has only existed since August 1986.
About Jan Kruis
Let’s start right. With the creator of all this. That was Jan Kruis (8 June 1933 – 19 January 2017). He was a Dutch cartoonist and was responsible, among other things, for the comic series Jan, Jans en de Kinderen. This strip is about the daily life of a standard Dutch family, consisting of a father, mother and two daughters. Other people play a role in this comic series. Think of the grandfather and the boyfriend of one of the daughters.
It is odd to talk about this comic in the present tense because its original creator has since died. The strip has been made by Studio Jan Kruis since 1999, after the cartoonist himself retired.
The introduction of Sint Pannekoek
The unofficial public holiday Saint Pannekoek was introduced in 1986 as a happy holiday where you not only eat pancakes. You also wish each other “Gezegende Sint Pannekoek” (Blessed Saint Pancake). Pancakes, let’s not forget, is what you eat on that day. We’re not done yet.You can wear them on your head before you eat them. That’s right, on your head.
Pannekoek of pannenkoek?
There is a slight problem when it comes to the ascription of the day. The publication of the strip took place before the introduction of new spelling rules, so the old name is still used today. So actually, the correct name should not be Saint Pancake, but Saint Pancake. With an extra N.
Background
What exactly is the origin of the story of Sint Pannekoek, as conceived by Jan Kruis?
The comic first appeared in a school agenda. Later on this comic also appeared in a Dutch magazine (Libelle). The youngest daughter, Catootje, indicated that she didn’t feel like eating beans. She confessed to her grandfather, Gerrit Tromp, that they “hardly ever” ate pancakes any more. He thought that was a good idea, whereupon he asked Mother Jans what day it was exactly. The latter told him it was the 29th and that was the cue for him to tell about this special day. A day that used to be marked by the Sint Pannekoek celebration. An old Rotterdam tradition that was always celebrated on this day. The grandfather didn’t even get a chance to elaborate, because Jans thought it was a great idea. Just because it was an old tradition. When father Jan arrived home, he was then greeted by Jans, grandfather Trump, daughters Karlijn and Catootje and her boyfriend Jeroen. In the chorus, they then shouted, “Dear daddy, we wish you a happy and blessed Saint Pannekoek!” Father Jan didn’t understand a thing. However, a new tradition was born.
The sequel
After the first publication, it didn’t stop. Sint Pannekoek returned in another comic, some years later. This time the roles in the family changed. This time it was father Jan who was framed. He was the stay-at-home dad, who had other plans in mind. Namely another meal. To get rid of the nagging, he decided to let Grandpa Tromp and Catootje have their way and let them bake the two pancakes. Upon returning home, Jans was surprised with the family members, this time augmented by baby Gertje, who gave Jans an enthusiastic welcome: “Dear mummy, we wish you a happy and blessed Sint Pannekoek!” Only Jan assured his wife that it really wasn’t his idea.
Sint Pannekoek is definitely a parody holiday. Conceived by Kruis, who was inspired by his father in the process. The character of Grandpa Tromp was a reference to his father.
Popular
Indeed, Saint Pannekoek is still very popular and this is evidenced by the number of participants, as every year the topic returns in the media. You can read more about it, for example, via the official website of Het Nationaal Comité Sint Pannekoek (The National Committee Saint Pannekoek).
The legend of Sint Pannekoek was told by Jan Kruis. Use the subtitling option, as the video is in Dutch.
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