Share your experiences in the comments section below! This post took me back to my sweet little time spent in Amsterdam and its neighborhood. I love learning about different traditions and cultures! If you are dissatisfied with the website or any content or materials on it, your sole exclusive remedy is to discontinue your use of the website. They go door by door in small group, mostly accompanied by parents or older children, with their mostly home made lampions ( an english word also), sing special Sint Maarten songs and are given fruit or candy. If you enjoyed this article, please share! Instead of Santa Claus, the Dutch have Sinterklaas. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. Saint Nicolas was not Turkish! Anyhow, by December 6, the whole country finally starts preparing for Christmas and the New Year. They are not in any say connected to Christmas and New Year. The Christmas period is a time of celebration and tradition. , there’s no additional cost to you, but I’ll earn a teeny tiny commission. Christmas shopping in Holland Welcoming streets, Christmas markets and the most wonderful department stores – that's Christmas shopping in Holland. That part has been added now. Celebrations for the festival begin on the last Saturday of November. Is it weird that I just tried to sing “young dutch boy ate his bunny for christmas dinner…despite all his searchin christmas eve…” to the tune of Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer?? LOL! It’s celebrated on December 25 and 26. But I guess this is just another facet of Dutch’s ability to compromise, to polder, to try and avoid the ultimate yearly conflict every family has to face: “with whom do we spend Christmas this year?”. Yes, what I tried to convey is that, in my experience, they party -mostly- at home, if you would look for a restaurant chances are they might be closed. In the Netherlands there is Eerste Kerstdag and Tweede Kerstdag (First Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day). What a fun post. This was such a lovely read! The Christmas festival is a result of Christian influences on pre-Christian winter festivals held in the area that is now the Netherlands and most of Europe. He was a Greekorthodox Bishop. Traditionally, Zwarte Piet is black because he’s of North African descent. On Christmas Eve in Finland people remember those who are not anymore with us. Tasty Dutch Treats You MUST Try in the Netherlands, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas, Find low fares and book your plane ticket with, From hotels to private homes, find the perfect accommodation with, Need something else to plan your perfect trip? It’s Christmas in the Netherlands! Thanks for the tip! Nice article! The Dutch, practical as they are, traditionally eat something they call gourmetten which might leave you puzzled. What happens at Christmas in the Netherlands? thanks for sharing! Otherwise, I’m not sure I’d want to be away from home for the holidays. It is quite common to spend one Christmas day with one side of the family and the other day with the other side, although every family is different of course! Anyhow, during the night of Sint Maarten, little children walk together holding lamps and giving away fruit and candy to remember the generosity of Sint Maarten. 15+ Dutch foods to try when you visit the Netherlands. To help offset the costs of running EverydayWanderer.com, you’ll find affiliate links lightly sprinkled throughout the site. Have you spent Christmas in the Netherlands? These are often blown to celebrate Advent and Christ’s birth. Christmas Greetings. No, December 24 is still a regular day for the Dutch. The first Christmas Day, i.e. “We realise the gravity of our decisions, right before Christmas.” The horns make an eerie noise as they are blown at every farm in the neighborhood. Yes, technically you are right, as he was a bishop of Myra in Asia Minor and Turkey did not exist. Because children have already received presents from Sinterklaas earlier in the month, Christmas is typically celebrated by spending time with family. The website may provide links to other websites on the Internet, the content of which is not in our control. Usually it is celebrated with ones direct, and not extended, family. Have You Celebrated Christmas in the Netherlands? I’d love to travel during the holidays but my children seem to think that’s the one time of the year that we need to be at home . I can’t say this is an Aussie tradition. It’s actually a huge thing where people get together withdraw family and friends, drink all night long, light fireworks (literally EVERYWHERE), go out to party, eat Oliebollen and basically wake up on the 2th of January:). Anyhow, Saint Nicholas is welcomed with great expectation, particularly from the children. This is the day when families gather, have dinner together and exchange presents. When I moved back to the US after living in the Netherlands for nearly four years, my American friends were often confused about the European nation about half the size of Maine, so here is a quick overview: Share your favorite photo with me by tagging @sagescott.kc on Instagram and using the hashtag #everydaywanderer. I love it! But, not in Netherlands as a whole. A pillow case full! Every Christmas morning my siblings and I would wake early to find each of us had a pillow case stuffed with gifts at the end of our beds. At my daughter’s school Rommel (messy) Piet visited, together with “disco” Piet, and as we arrived one morning to school all the lights were off, dance music was blasting, chairs were upside down and everything was out of place. What are your traditions? The Netherlands has a long, North Sea coastline. As you might expect, these usually quickly disappear soon after the tree is trimmed with only the ribbons remaining. 100+ things every American should know. Every night until December the fifth, children put their shoes near the chimney in the house. This day commemorates Saint Martin of Tours, a bishop of Gaul (modern-day France). What happens at Christmas in the Netherlands? About as classy as Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer, is a Dutch Christmas song about a boy looking for his lost rabbit that ends up being served for Christmas dinner. Your email address will not be published. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comment. In rural eastern areas of the country, handmade horns are carved out of birch or elder saplings. From the Netherlands to Australia, InterNations employees have shared their Christmas experiences and traditions from their native countries. Then comes the 2nd day of Christmas in the Netherlands, which is the 26th of December. That’s why you’ll find affiliate links lightly sprinkled throughout the site. In my homeland we don’t have St. Nicholas in Decamber only Christmas. If you have a World Market Cost Plus where you live, they stock marzipan during Christmas time! Awwwwww, I love it! For me, it all starts with Sint Maarten at the beginning of November. So don’t expect to see decked halls until December 7th. in England) is money (the small silver coins – threepences and sixpences) would be cooked into the Christmas pudding so eating dessert had an extra thrill to it to see who got the most money. I have not visited The Netherlands yet, however celebrating Christmas since November sounds like my type of country ? Kerstkransjes, wreath-shaped almond cookies tied with a ribbon that are hung on the Christmas tree. While Martin was a soldier in the Roman army, he experienced a vision, which became the most-repeated story about his life. Nearly everyone receives a large chocolate letter of their first initial in their wooden shoes from Sinterklaas. , Marzipan is sooooo amazing! This is great! Banketstaaf – dutch pastry filled with a sweet almond paste … Two words: marzipan chocolate! Sinterklaas Instead of Santa. Learn how your comment data is processed. Some of the most popular and most successful Dutch Christmas events have been cancelled for the 2020 / 2021 winter season. I am a Mexican girl, born to a Swiss father and married to a Dutch guy, living in The Netherlands for 9 years (oh how time flies!). Both the french and the dutch took it over later. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Made with love in Kansas City by Sage Scott, The fascinating history behind its most beloved traditions, The best places to see beautiful blossoms this spring, Debunked By People Who Live In "Flyover" States, 15+ Tasty Dutch Foods to Try (with Recipes), What To Do In Jackson Hole In Winter (Besides Ski), While the articles and advice at Everyday Wanderer are free, running this travel blog is not. A dear teacher friend of ours wanted to share with her class what Christmas was like in the Netherlands. Dutch carols in the book include "Look, There Is the Steamer" and "Bright December Moon." After going through all this, it will be January and a brand new year. Den Ilp, a little village north of Amsterdam, is famous for its over-the-top displays. What do you need to know about the Netherlands? This is the day where families gather, have dinner together and exchange presents. But no, this is not Halloween and has little to do with it.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'dutchreview_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',168,'0','0'])); Sint Maarten is a festivity celebrated mostly in the southern catholic provinces (Limburg) and those adjacent to Germany. What I meant though was that said city would be located in modern-day Demre, in (today’s) Turkey. For most companies, it is still a regular working day. If you are Mexican, eat recalentado (warmed-up leftovers from Christmas Eve) and maybe try to score some sales. Besides frites (French fries) it’s one of the things I miss most from living over there that I can’t really find here in the US. Christmas in Netherlands – Great Event; Christmas Day is a significant holiday in the Netherlands on 25th December every year. In fact, it’s one of the things I loved most about the four Christmases I celebrated in Maastricht! Speculaas. Some people take this very seriously — it is considered rude, disrespectful and impolite to even dare to think of Christmas until all the Sinterklaas craziness is over. Each of the two days of Christmas is usually celebrated with lots of food. Happy holidays! Second Day of Christmas is a public holiday. Sometimes there is a special Christmas Day 'Sunday School' in the afternoon at the church, where the Christmas Story and other traditional stories are told. I also blog at Poppies and Ice-cream. Families gather to celebrate, eat spice cookies, hot chocolate, tea and open presents. Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in December 2018 but was updated for your reading pleasure on December 2020. December 25th and 26th, which are both observed as public holidays. Odd because we are not Dutch. They sing songs, and they leave food. The beer is … Also known as St. … Coming from Australia, Christmas in the Netherlands is definitely different. Either way, the idea of Zwarte Piet has been called racist by some, so many Zwarte Piet have evolved from full blackface to a few soot marks. To help offset the costs of running EverydayWanderer.com, you’ll find affiliate links lightly sprinkled throughout the site. Thank You! Several people beautify their homes and stopover Christmas markets proceeding to Christmas Day. Also known as St. Nicholas, he is the patron saint of children and sailors. A quick read through Wikipedia explains more in-depth what Sinterklaas really means in the Netherlands: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas. Do the Dutch celebrate Christmas (Kerst) in a different way? eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'dutchreview_com-leader-1','ezslot_5',107,'0','0']));Please be aware that no Christmas tree or other Christmas decorations are “allowed” to be set up until after Sinterklaas has left, that is, after December 5. In the Netherlands, these two days are spent with family, singing carols, playing games, watching movies, reading Christmas tales and indulging in holiday feasts. Some of them are so unusual. All this expectation happens during the three weeks between the November 15 and December 5, otherwise known as pakjesavond (evening of presents), where a loud thump is heard outside the door, and suddenly, when you open it, a big burlap bag appears, full with presents. Get the latest articles delivered to you! Probably that we feel the need to celebrate Christmas for more than two months, from the second the last kid knocks on our door trick-or-treating until at least New Year’s Day. Christmas. Because it’s fascinating to see how a holiday as universal as Christmas is celebrated differently around the globe, here are 25 surprising facts about Christmas in the Netherlands. Rather than hanging stockings, well-behaved Dutch children leave wooden shoes out for Sinterklaas to fill. Ahahaha. You don’t celebrate someone’s birthday two days after the actual event, or do you? The sack of gifts, in particular the gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins, are symbolic of the assistance Saint Nicholas gave a poor father back in the 3rd Century. Children ‘grow’ with the tradition. A guide to the winter... there’s a new ban on the dangerous explosives, 3 Things in the Netherlands that you might love and hate, The ultimate Dutch winter wonderland photo report. We're constantly hunting for the latest, greatest, and most Dutch spots for our readers. So much fun. Pakjesavond literally means “presents evening.”. Price New from Used from Hardcover "Please retry" $5.98 . Because my readers are 75% Americans, I have linked Sinterklaas and Christmas in one article to help illustrate that the Dutch have completely separate holidays for gift giving (Sinterklaas and Pakjesavond) and Christmas. But I guess he just thought, as many other Dutch citizens do, that Spain was a great place to retire. That night, Martin dreamt of Jesus wearing the half-cloak he had given away. Christmas in Netherland is celebrated for two consecutive days, i.e. You have successfully joined our subscrib, The Dutch Have Separate Holidays for Gift Giving and Christmas. At Sint Maarten children do not give away fruit and candy. Chocolate and pastry shop windows are full of marzipan delights at Christmastime, shaping the almond paste into everything from fruits to animals. Though I often forget that parts of Europe does it on the 5th rather than the 6th which is strange to me. It’s so nice to read about this unexplicable culture that Europeans have. But rabbit is probably even more not my thing…. She wrote this piece about the beginning of Christmas in the Netherlands: St. Nicholas Day, which is celebrated around the country of the Netherlands on December 5th. Either way, he is the start of Christmas for me and my Cuban family as well. I know a friend whose dad served his pet rabbit for dinner. I am secretly addicted to that stuff which says a lot since I love CHOCOLATE! We do have those here! Christmas is a holiday to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Isn’t it awesome! like carrots behind for Sinterklaas's horse. Sinterklaas is based on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas (270–343), a Greek bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. Instead of a sleigh pulled by reindeer, Sinterklaas rides a white horse named Amerigo. Sinterklaas arrives in … Sage Advice:  Experience more Dutch culture with this off-the-beaten-path bike tour of Amsterdam. This is such a cool post! He arrives by steamboat, from Spain, on a boat full of presents and mandarins. Martin impulsively cut his military cloak in half to share with the man (he only gave half of his cloak to the man in need, as the other half belonged to the Roman empire). See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. December 6th, Sinterklaas’ Feast Day, is actually the day he died and not his birthday. I don’t think there is another country that takes make-belief to such a high level.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'dutchreview_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_4',161,'0','0'])); There is even a channel dedicated to the daily activities of Sinterklaas and everyone participates in the collective fantasy. Most Dutch people make or purchase Kerstkransjes, wreath-shaped almond cookies tied with a ribbon that are hung on the Christmas tree. What’s your favorite Australian Christmas tradition? Kerstpakket. Holidays in the Netherlands 2021: when are the public, national, and school holidays? Must admit my first thought about the black Piets was that it was pretty racist and that maybe they were originally slaves. The Dutch celebrate Christmas over two public holidays on both the 25th and 26th of December. Are you from Belgium? You may be new to the Netherlands and be a bit perplexed with all the celebrations that are about to happen (or have just happened), some of which are rather odd, or new, or maybe you never heard of them? I can understand your kids’ perspectives. As you might expect, these usually quickly disappear soon after the tree is trimmed with only the ribbons remaining. You can read all of the legal blah blah blah (as my little niece says) on the full disclosure page. Here’s how to bring in the New Year in the Netherlands 2020-2021: lockdown edition, Christmas in the Netherlands: the merriest bits, Press conference: Curfew likely but not yet confirmed, one guest per household, Video: Incredible footage of 1920s Amsterdam in colour, LIVE BLOG: new coronavirus measures for the Netherlands on the way, Curfew and only one visitor at home: stricter measures to be announced for Netherlands today, Fast trains from the Netherlands will likely go under as Eurostar faces bankruptcy. Some will say that his face is black from climbing down chimneys to deliver presents for Sinterklaas. He is depicted as an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard. And yes, I forgot about the Oliebollen and the fireworks, how could I ? The Netherlands is the focus of this Christmas Around the World resource about the winter holidays in Holland. Christmas in The Netherlands. The kids get super into it, expecting little treats at all times, leaving their shoe by the window every night and blaming all kinds of happenings (like missing things) on Piet. Dutch Treats. “The Netherlands is closing down,” he said to the sound of protesters banging pots and pans outside his office in The Hague. Another tradition (and this is more universal – also happens/happened (?) These days are spent with relatives, singing carols, watching movies, participating in feasts, and reading Christmas stories. All of the news outlets follow his arrival — it’s a major event as he visits different cities, accompanied by his controversial helpers, the Pieten, who deliver presents, mandarins and spice cookies, in addition to spying on the children and pulling pranks every chance they get. Or a different nation? You will find them at bakeries and you can even try to make them at home with the ready-made dough that exists for the very purpose. The connection between St. Nicholas and prostitutes is why chocolate coins are a common treat for children from Sinterklaas. I love to see the different ways that people celebrate the same holiday in such different ways. Local butcher an important Christmas tradition in the Netherlands, which are both as... Lasts two days book a hotel with free cancellation in case you need to change your plans at last. Aaaw, leaving a carrot for Sinterklaas ’ Feast day, many people decorate their homes gardens... 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