Dutch holidays
Christmas in Holland (Kerstfeest)
Christmas, the traditional Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, is celebrated over two days in the Netherlands, i.e. Eerste Kerstdag (First Christmas Day) on December 25 and Tweede Kerstdag (Second Christmas Day) on December 26, both of which are public holidays.
While it may seem similar to what you know, Christmas is not about Santa Claus and reindeer in the Netherlands. It's all about creating a cozy atmosphere. This means that Christmas in the Netherlands is really about the ambiance. People buy Christmas trees, and decorate them with kerstkransjes (Christmas wreath cookies or chocolates, which the children may eat at Christmas Day), glass balls, gilded nuts, ribbons, glittery pine cones, frosted bells, and red and white candles. Many people place beautiful Advent star lights in their windows.
The main square of every city has its own brightly lit Christmas tree. Twinkly lights shaped like bells and stars, and garlands are strung over many of the charming old streets, adding instant Christmas cheer during the darkest days of the year. Department stores are beautifully decked out in red, white, green, silver and gold decorations. Christmas carillon music is played and you will find many old-fashioned stalls selling seasonable favourites like donuts and apple turnovers on the street. Flower stalls offer beautifully made wreaths, red and white poinsettias, holly, mistletoe, and decorated pine cones.
Family holiday
Christmas is family time, although the hyper-hysteric commercial style of Christmas that is found in so many other Christian countries is gaining ground here too, unfortunately. Rather confusingly, Santa Claus (called de Kerstman) is also trying to edge his way into Dutch Christmas. Of course, kids are only too happy to accept two gift-giving Santas, if it means more presents for them.
Families spend the day together on the 25th. Some attend a late night Christmas service at church, after which they eat breakfast at home, often in the early hours. In an increasingly irreligious Holland, however, most people just relax at home and eat themselves silly. Breakfast usually consists of a brunch with a kerststol (fruited Christmas loaf) with butter, and luxury breakfast items like fancy bread rolls, smoked salmon, pates, etc.
Many families eat course after lavish course for their Christmas dinner. These meals could include game meats, roast pork, fondues or gourmetten (a style of eating that involves a grill on the table so that everyone can cook bite-sized pieces of meat and vegetables themselves). Of all traditions, gourmetten is the most typically Dutch Christmas meal, but requires special equipment, called a 'gourmet set'. This is similar to a raclette grill or party grill, which would probably be easier to locate if you're abroad. Turkey is not usually part of the feast in Holland, although it too is gaining ground.
Second Christmas Day is often spent visiting family or, weather permitting, going ice skating or on an outing. Leftovers are enjoyed on this day.
Dutch New Year (Oud en Nieuw )
Dutch New Year (Oud en Nieuw) consists of Oudejaarsavond (New Year's Eve) on December 31 and Nieuwjaarsdag (New Year's Day) on January 1. The latter is a public holiday. Public holidays are few and far between in the Netherlands, so they are usually a pretty big deal. Don't feel too sorry for us: we get a minimum of 20 paid holiday days a year (excl. public holidays) and we even get paid a holiday bonus of approximately 8% of our gross annual salary, but I digress…
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is usually spent enjoying a party with friends and family at home, eating some traditional oliebollen (taste a bit like donuts), drinking a glass of wine or champagne, watching the New Year's Eve Conference (by one of the leading cabaret performers) on TV or playing a board game or a game of cards. Most younger people just go into town to see open-air concerts and the fireworks around the city
Fans of loud banging noises will have a field day, as overzealous children of all ages set off crackers. The red cracker papers turn the streets bright red. I'm told that the tradition of setting off fireworks and crackers has something to do with old pagan customs of driving away demons, so that the New Year could begin with a clean slate. At the stroke of midnight, firework displays brightly colour the sky and the cacophony of people wishing each other a Gelukkig Nieuwjaar (Happy New Year) can be heard all around.
New Year's Day
It has become traditional (for some crazy die-hards) to take a Nieuwjaarsduik at noon on New Year's Day. This involves taking a dip in the freezing cold North Sea at Scheveningen beach in the Hague. The swimmers are rewarded with a steaming cup of Dutch winter soup, usually Erwtensoep, a thick split pea soup with smoked sausage.
Pasen (Dutch Easter)
You'll find the same penchant for chocolate bunnies and Easter egg hunts in Holland as in many other Christian countries, but there are a few Easter traditions unique to the Netherlands. So, for instance, Dutch Easter (Pasen) usually refers to Easter Sunday (Eerste Paasdag) and Easter Monday (Tweede Paasdag). Good Friday is not a public holiday here.
Easter Sunday
Children spend the morning decorating Easter eggs with brightly coloured paint and hunting chocolate eggs that have been hidden by the Easter Mummy... uhh... make that the Easter Bunny.
Traditionally, an Easter brunch is held on the Sunday. The table is decorated with the freshly painted Easter eggs, candles, spring flowers like daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, and a vase with decorated willow branches (paastakken). Hanging from this 'Easter tree' are chocolate eggs and ornaments like butterflies, bows and bunnies. The brunch consists of a Paasstol (a fruited Easter loaf with a centre of soft almond paste), butter shaped like a lamb or bunny, bread rolls, hard boiled eggs, smoked salmon, smoked eel, and other more typical Dutch breakfast items.
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is a public holiday. Weather permitting, Dutch families often spend the day at an amusement park or cycling in the countryside. Bad weather Easters often mean big business for shopping centres and furniture stores. Food wise, leftovers from Easter Sunday are usually enjoyed.
Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) - It's all about Orange
Queen's Day (Koninginnedag), on April 30, is an annual public holiday in the Netherlands. It commemorates the Queen's birthday. What many people do not realize, however, is that it's actually not the reigning Queen's birthday, but her mother's (the former Queen, Juliana). I suppose one can't blame Queen Beatrix for wanting to have some peace and quiet on her real birthday, January 31. Just as well, as it would be a bit cold that time of year for an outdoor party.
Queen's Night
On the eve of Queen's Day, known as Queen's Night (or Koninginnenacht), Dutch people from far and wide descend on areas with cafes, nightclubs and bars. Amsterdam is especially popular. Many venues hold special themed evenings, but the party usually spills out onto the streets and goes on all night long.
The Day
Queen Beatrix always visits one or two towns where she is entertained by locals and children, often with traditional Dutch dances, songs and craft demonstrations. This tends to be quite a civilized and charming affair, befitting the dignity of a queen.
Meanwhile, the rest of Holland goes crazy. Special concerts and events are held in the main squares, often featuring well-known DJ's and bands. Again, Amsterdam is a popular destination, with up to two million people partying in the city streets last year. Imagine one big churning flow of happy people, clad in orange clothing and headgear. The orange theme is in honour of the royal family, the House of Orange.
Many cafes and bars decorate their facades with themed posters and orange decorations. The larger squares writhe with people dancing to the beat of the music, while jam-packed boats, pumping house music, crowd the canals. It is not unusual to get stuck in a human traffic jam on Queen's Day, especially in busy areas like the Jordaan and the central canal areas. Be warned, this is no day for Agoraphobics!
Vrijmarkt
Queen's Day is the one day of the year that anyone is allowed to sell anything in the streets. This giant flea market is called a Vrijmarkt (literally, free market), because people don't have to pay tax on what they sell. People often get rid of old junk this way, but it is also a day of humour, and games and challenges are all part of the fun. The Vondelpark is reserved for the children's Vrijmarkt, where children sell their old toys and display their musical, and other, talents. This is particularly charming.
The Story of Sinterklaas
The Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas (the name is a contraction of Sint Nikolaas) on December 5 and 6. The holiday, consisting of St. Nicholas's Eve and St. Nicholas's Day, honours the life of St. Nicholas.
This real life Santa Claus was born to wealthy parents in the third century in Patara (the area was Greek at the time, but is now part of Turkey). He spent his life giving away his money to the poor and doing good deeds. He died on December 6 and was buried in Myra, and it is this date that is commemorated.
Although St. Nicholas is always shown wearing his bishop's attire, the Dutch tend to see him as a kindly old man, rather than as a Catholic saint. The result is that Sinterklaas is celebrated by Dutch people of all ages and beliefs, without any real religious connotations.
Every year St. Nicolas arrives from Spain by steamboat in Amsterdam, along with his many helpers, Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters), who dance and run up and down the street after disembarking the ship. They help the good old Saint on his white horse and they all parade the street, cheered by thousands of children and their (grand)parents.
Gifts, Poems and Treats
His feast day is observed by exchanging gifts and chocolate letters (of the recipient's initial). It is also customary to make good-natured fun of your loved ones, by way of humorous poetry written by the giver and the infamous 'surprise', which is basically a (homemade) gag gift that hides another present inside.
Waving a carrot
Dutch children believe that Sinterklaas writes down whether they've been naughty or nice in his red book. They put carrots in their shoes for his horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for presents if they were good. Sound familiar?
Real Life Santa
It is said that Sinterklaas was the precursor of Santa Claus. Historians believe that Dutch and German settlers took the tradition with them to America. There, his Catholic garb was gradually transformed into the jolly non-sectarian red suit with the white fur trim we are all so familiar with. Additionally, his lithe frame gave way to a well-padded potbelly and his trusty white steed was traded in for a troupe of reindeer. Either way, both Sinterklaas and Santa Claus stand for generosity of spirit and kindness to children. And that cannot be a bad thing.