Crowds gather at Gorinchem harbour to celebrate the annual arrival of "Sinterklaas" (St. Nicholas), a Christmas festival observed across the country this weekend. The boat carrying the famous character arrives at the port, where he then rides on horseback through the streets of the town, where he is greeted by thousands of people in a generally friendly atmosphere. "It's a celebration from since I was a kid" says Stefan Valentin. But in Lier, another town in the Dutch south (not shown in the images), demonstrators protested against the parade, which traditionally features 'Zwarte Piets' (Black Peters), dressed in black and sporting afro hairstyles. Their appearance, which has in the past included wearing dark face paint, is increasingly contested in the Netherlands, considered by some to be racist and a harmful relic of colonialism. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES