Sinterklaas (St Nicholas’ Eve)
St Nicholas’ Eve is celebrated every year on 5 December. Though very popular with young and old alike, the celebrations are mainly for children. On St Nicholas’ Eve, Dutch people give each other presents.
St Nicholas’ Eve is named after St Nicholas, the patron saint of children and sailors, who lived from 280 AD to 342 AD. Little children in the Netherlands still believe that St Nicholas really exists.
According to tradition, St Nicholas lives in Spain. Every year, during the month of November, he comes to the Netherlands. He sails into the harbour on an old steamboat. After he comes ashore, he rides through town on a white horse. Thousands of children and their parents come out on the street to watch, and the children sing special songs. The arrival of St Nicholas is even on television.
Children are told St Nicholas has a big book that says whether they have been good or bad during the past year. When he is in the Netherlands, they place a shoe beside the fireplace or the radiator. This is a bit like hanging up your Christmas stocking. St Nicholas sometimes leaves presents in the children’s shoes. He comes with his helpers, who are known as Zwarte Pieten. They dress up in brightly coloured costumes and paint their faces black. They hand out sweets to children, including schuimpjes and pepernoten, which are a bit like marshmallows and ginger nuts.
Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day)
Queen Beatrix’s birthday is on 31 January, but she celebrates it on 30 April, which was the birthday of her mother, Queen Juliana.
On Queen’s Day, the whole country joins in the celebrations. Some people dress up in orange clothes, as orange is the colour of the Netherlands. Bicycles, houses and prams are decorated. People who have Dutch flags hang them outside their houses. The flags are decorated with an orange pennant. This is the symbol of the royal family.
On Queen’s Day, hundreds of thousands of people go to cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht. There are large flea markets where people are allowed to sell whatever they like, including household goods, food, books and t-shirts.
Easter
On Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On Easter Sunday, they celebrate his resurrection from the dead. In the Netherlands, people also have a day off work on Easter Monday, and the schools are closed on that day too. Dutch people eat lots of eggs at Easter. The eggs are painted and decorated. Chocolate eggs are also sold in shops. On Easter Sunday, many parents hide chocolate eggs in the house and/or garden. The children then have to hunt for them.
Christmas
Christmas is a major Christian feast, when people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In the Christian world, Christmas is celebrated on 25 December. In the Netherlands, it is celebrated on both 25 and 26 December. At Christmas time, many Dutch people have a Christmas tree – a pine tree decorated with brightly coloured tinsel, baubles, angels and fairy lights. People spend time with their families, and often give each other presents.
New Year’s Eve
People often get together with their friends and family to celebrate New Year’s Eve. They eat apple turnovers and oliebollen (a type of Dutch doughnut with raisins or apple inside). Most children are allowed to stay up until midnight to hear the clock strike twelve. Afterwards people set off fireworks. There are loud explosions all over the place, so everyone can see and hear that the new year has begun!
