116 DUTCH AND ENGLISH ON THE HUDSON
indeed a festive appearance that the market pre-
sented, with its double stalls filled with eggs and
gherkins, its booths hung with dried fish, its pojfert-
jeskraomi dispensing the tempting batter-cakes,
and its wafelkraamen offering the more costly
and aristocratic waffles. The youths and maidens
were given full license to parade arm in arm along
the streets singing "Hossen, hossen, hossen!" and
making the town ring with their mirth and laugh-
ter. The first Kermis held at New Amsterdam
was in October, 1659. Booths were arranged
on the parade ground, and barter and sale and
merrymaking went on gaily for six weeks, to
the unspeakable joy of the little Hendricks and
Jans and Annetjes who wandered from booth to
booth.
But keen as the delight of the Dutch children
may have been, there was in their minds the hope
of even better things to come a few weeks later,
at their own especial, particular, undisputed feast
of St. Nicholas, the beloved Santa Claus, patron
saint of children in general and of young Nether-
landers in particular. The 6th of December was
the day dedicated to this genial benefactor, and
on the eventful night a white sheet was spread on
the floor. Around this stood the children singing