Folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Flanders have such a character as Zwarte Piet (meaning "black Pete"). He is a companion of St. Nicholas, whose annual feast day in the Netherlands is celebrated on December 5th and 6th, when gifts are distributed to all good children. When the author was in Venice in 2007, he thought that the illegal African traders carrying their goods in bags looked strikingly similar to Zwarte Piet. The fake goods they sell are so cheap that they look like gifts. Thus, illegal African traders combine the characteristics of both Saint Nicholas and his assistant.