Zwarte Piet

Zwarte Piet (, Dutch for "Black Pete"; , , ) is the friend of Saint Nicholas (, , , ) in the folklore of the Low Countries. 
The character first appeared in an 1850 book by Amsterdam schoolteacher Jan Schenkman. 
Zwarte Piet is black because he is a Moor from Spain. People playing Zwarte Piet usually put on blackface and colourful suits along with curly wigs and bright red lipstick.
Recently, the character has become controversial with many saying it was racist towards people of African descent.