There is a holiday in Holland on May 1st. National holidays and festivals in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is traditionally famous for its festivals and the scale of their holding. Today we will visit some of them, and also learn about the holidays that this country celebrates.
After the New Year holidays, which the Dutch celebrate on December 30 and 31, it's time for International Feature Film Festival. It takes place in early February in the city of Rotterdam. The entire elite of the country comes to the festival to get acquainted with the novelties of the film industry.
The end of February is the traditional time for The festival of bad taste. This festival was created, as it were, in defiance of the previous one and is dedicated to unsuccessful films. The public loves to go to the cinema to see them and make fun of the films that failed at the feature film festival.
If you want to visit all the museums in the Netherlands for free, then the second weekend of April is waiting for you. These days in the Netherlands is held Museum Day. More than 500 museums will open their doors to you. Most of them will prepare a special program for their visitors.
The most beautiful holiday is held in the Netherlands on April 25 - flower parade. A very spectacular procession passes through the streets of the country. Many types of tulips, flower figures, a costume show, dancing, music, fun - all this awaits you at the end of April.
On April 30, the whole country celebrates a great holiday - Queen's Day. The holiday is celebrated in honor of the birthday of the mother of Queen Beatrix. This holiday is one of the favorites of the people of the Netherlands, because. on this day duty-free trade is legalized. All the sidewalks of the streets are full of different goods. All residents of the city wear orange, the color of the royal family.
When we hear the word Netherlands, we immediately imagine a windmill. On May 11 the country celebrates National Miller's Day. On this day, you can visit about 600 windmills, which will be open especially for you. bike day coincides with this holiday, so you can safely combine business with pleasure.
The first day of summer will meet you Herring holiday or as it is also called (Flag Day). On this day, the first herring, which is distinguished by its special taste properties, is delivered to the port of the country. The streets of the city and the harbor are decorated with flags. Visitors to the holiday will be able to eat plenty of herring, and the first ship that enters the port receives a cash reward.
Canal Festival held in the last days of August. On this day, part of the channels are blocked for the installation of large podiums. Stars of classical music are invited to the country to perform their works.
Autumn opens Seven Bridges Festival- jazz music festival. Along the Reguliersgrach canal, famous for its seven bridges thrown one after the other, there are numerous jazz podiums. For jazz lovers, this is a great opportunity to listen to your favorite music.
The city of Breda takes place annually. All owners of red hair come to the city of Breda from all over the world on this day. In 2010, according to the organizers of the festival, about 4,000 redheads from 40 countries came to Breda.
Photo: www.theguardian.com
www.telegraph.co.uk
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After a long stay in Holland, it became clear to me: something, but the Dutch know how to have fun and celebrate various holidays for the whole. That is why there are so many holidays, carnivals and festivals in this country. For every taste. Some holidays are associated with the religion of the inhabitants of the Netherlands, others with the free disposition of the Dutch. But of course, main holiday for all the inhabitants of Holland - Queen's Day! But first things first.
On the one hand, any holiday in Holland is always an event to the fullest in terms of people's attitudes, with huge crowds in the streets, rivers of alcohol, songs. But on the other hand, the Dutch do not like to spend a lot of money on holidays, so people themselves become the main decoration of the city streets. During the holidays, you will not see serious decorations of the city, as, for example, in Moscow, and gifts are mostly given here purely symbolic.
New Year starts in November
It's always nice to start a story with New Year's magic, so I'll start with the traditional New Year's holidays in Holland. Surprisingly, the whole New Year's series of holidays begins here in November. Immediately after Halloween, the store shelves are replaced by the New Year theme.
Few people know that in Holland, the meeting of the local Santa Claus, gift giving and New Year's madness do not take place in New Year and not on Christmas, but on the first and main holiday for children and adults in this country - St. Nicholas Day or Sinterklaas Day. It comes on the night of December 5th, when Sinterklaas (short for Sinte Nikolaas, Santa's predecessor) gives presents to children who have been well behaved. And it is this day that all Dutch children are waiting for, and not the New Year and not even Christmas.
Why does the New Year fuss begin in November? And all because Sinterklaas sails by ship in mid-November (this year, Sinta's arrival fell on November 14) from his residence in Spain and stays in the country until December 5. He sails along with his assistants Black Petes, who do all the dirty work for him: they make lists of delinquent children, write down the addresses of obedient children and collect gifts. In this tradition, I especially liked that the main fear of local children is not that they will not get a gift or they will be scolded, but that Sinterklaas will take them to terrible Spain, where he lives until the next new year.
The first acquaintance with this tradition happened with us almost immediately after our arrival. While we were walking into the city on a regular weekend, on the way we met parents with children whose faces were densely smeared with black paint, their lips were painted bright red, and each had a hat with a feather on his head. We wondered for a long time what was going on.
In the city we met the whole delegation headed by someone who at the same time looked like Santa and our Santa Claus, but in episcopal church clothes with people in fancy costumes with full black makeup and red lips. They went and distributed cookies to children and adults, and most often showered them - during November, the streets are full of cookies all over the country. It wasn't until we got home that we looked online and found out about such a strange but terribly interesting tradition. It turned out that they were the same Sinteklaas with his assistants Black Bats.
Children are really looking forward to this holiday, they put a special shoe in the corridor, where St. Nicholas should bring a gift on the night of December 5th. As gifts, the most common are small round oatmeal cookies, the first letter of the name made of chocolate, almond rolls and various marzipan sweets. On December 5, services and children's holidays are held in all cities. Going out into the city on this day, you do not need to be surprised at anything. Each child will be dressed as Pete with a plastered face, a hat and a feather. Being Pete is a lot of pride for a child. They run around the streets and go through various quests with their parents.
This holiday is very fond of children, so it still exists in such a European country as Holland. After all, not everything is so rosy, and if it were not for the children, then the human rights activists of black people would have defended their ideas long ago. So every year on this day, in addition to wide celebrations, rallies are held in support of the ban on this "racist" holiday.
There are many legends about the Black Heels. The most common that Saint Nicholas saved little boy with black skin from slavery, and he stayed to help him. The second version is that Sinterklaas's assistants get into the children's house through the chimney and, naturally, turn black from soot and smoke. The third version says that after all, the Black Petes ended up in the Sinteklaas team as slaves. This version is supported by opponents of the holiday.
Hundreds of people take to the streets of their cities demanding that Pete be turned white or colored. The Dutch, as a very obedient people, are already beginning to listen to these conversations, and every year children with painted black faces can be seen less and less. Now they are smeared with multi-colored paint. But the official delegation of Saint Nicholas from Spain still arrives in the most traditional attire. After all, it's just a harmless holiday with beautiful story about the assistants of Sinterklaas. An amazing and strange holiday!
Traditional Christmas
After St. Nicholas Day in Holland, everyone is waiting for Christmas. But not the Christmas that we have the idea of American films. Holland treats Christmas in a special way. There are no excessive decorations on the streets here, only modest accents that remind you that Christmas is still coming soon. Although now city shops help a lot with the creation of the Christmas atmosphere, where the most magical stories and heroes are sometimes placed on the windows.
It is rare to find Christmas markets in Holland, the most important ones in the Netherlands are held in Maastricht and Dordrecht. These are the best places to buy festive mood. In large central cities, fairs are small and are most often located in one place in the city, unlike in Germany, where cities turn into a huge network of fairgrounds.
Holland is a country in which different religions coexist, but Protestantism and Catholicism remain the main ones for it. Therefore, the celebration of Christmas remains special for each region of the country. But all regions have one thing in common. Christmas - home holiday On the 25th of December you will not meet anyone on the streets of the cities. Cities are dying. Shops, museums and other institutions are closed on the 25th.
But on December 26, on St. Stephen's Day, the Dutch go on a visit and attend various events, restaurants and theaters. But the doors of shops are still closed on this day.
If you decide to combine shopping and a trip to Christmas Holland, do not forget to grab a couple of days before or after Christmas, when Christmas discounts reign in stores.
And the New Year itself?
Everyone knows that the New Year in Russia and the New Year in Europe are completely different things. There, no one gives gifts on this holiday and no one prepares for it as the main event of the year. Holland is no exception. But on New Year's Eve there are mass festivities, bars and clubs work. They say that the New Year in Holland is very fun, but for some reason we ourselves are always far from Holland on New Year's Day. Who knows, maybe next year we will fix it? By the way, in Holland this holiday is called Old New Year.
The main event of the New Year is the launch of fireworks. Ordinary people can set off fireworks in Holland only once a year (!), from 10 p.m. on December 31 to 2 a.m. on January 1. Therefore, the Dutch are looking forward to this night. And at midnight the cities are transformed: the sky is filled with bright colors, firecrackers and salutes are heard from everywhere, cars honk in honor of the holiday, complete madness is happening. After January 1, the ban on pyrotechnics for individuals again comes into play. This is such a law-abiding country.
Carnival before Lent? Why not!
After the New Year holidays have died down, the Dutch begin to prepare for Lent, which usually begins at the end of February. And it is preceded by numerous carnivals in Dutch cities. The tradition is in a sense similar to our Maslenitsa.
Most of all, I was struck by the grandiose preparations for the carnival! People absolutely different ages prepare for the event in advance, for a whole year they work on the creation of giant platform machines, make life-size puppets, come up with fancy outfits, learn special dances and choose musical accompaniment. Before fasting, people try to have a blast, which is why they organize these crazy carnivals with large mobile structures.
Before the carnival, the mayors of the cities hand over the reign to the princess and the prince of the carnival, proclaim the beginning of the madness. After the parade, the best team is selected, and the festivities continue! This evening, the carefree life ends, and people plunge into fasting. I must say that this is a very interesting tradition for visitors, although young Dutch people often call these events stupid. Although, most likely, this is simply due to less interest in religion on the part of young people. Nevertheless, at the festival in our city there were many young people and entire families, groups of grandmothers who had plenty of fun at the carnival.
While fasting lasts, the country begins to prepare for Easter, stores change their assortment to Easter eggs, bunnies and cupcakes. And on the very day of Easter, churches are decorated with white flowers and Easter services are held. After, according to tradition, the Dutch organize a gala dinner with the family.
Continue the series of religious holidays Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost (Day of the Holy Spirit) in May. In Holland these days are public holidays.
Annual bi-monthly flower festival in Keukenhof and beyond
One of the main spring events in Holland is the opening of the Keukenhof Flower Park. In 2016, it will begin its work from March 24 to May 16.
This park gathers a huge number of not only tourists, but also the Dutch themselves. It is in it that you can see the fields of tulips as if from a picture, get acquainted with all varieties of tulips, daffodils, irises, orchids, many other flowers and, finally, choose your favorite! You don't know where to look in this park. Everywhere spring greenery, fragrant flowers, a million paths and different types plants.
Every year, a central theme is chosen, which will be devoted to the main expositions of the park. In the year we were in the park, the theme of Van Gogh was chosen, in honor of the 125th anniversary of the famous artist's death. In Keukenhof, the master's self-portrait and some of his other paintings were lined with flowers.
There are a lot of tourists there, so it is worth going to the park on weekdays in order to at least slightly reduce the number of people in the park. The second advice is to go to the park in the middle of the period of its work, because at first not all the flowers can bloom, but at the end they already bloom. One time is definitely worth being in this flower paradise!
In addition to the Keukenhof exposition at the end of April, Holland holds a very colorful festival - the Flower Parade (Bloemen Corso). He starts his procession in the city of Lisse, which is located near the Keukenhof park, and continues to the city of Haarlem. The parade itself is a procession of intricate structures and various installations on wheels, completely (!) Decorated with flowers. Professional florists and designers are working on mobile structures, but volunteers also take a great part, without whom this show would not have taken place.
Along with the column with songs, dances and music are people in fancy dress. You can join the parade in any of the cities through which the route is laid. In them, the festive column is met by local orchestras and other groups.
The main holiday of the country is Queen's Day (King's Day)
On the Day of the Queen or the King in Holland, at least once in your life, you should definitely visit!
Originally it was the Queen's Day (Koninginnedag), but for the first time since 1890, Holland is again ruled by a king: in 2013, Willem-Alexander ascended the throne, and now the holiday is called the King's Day (Koningsdag). Although the Dutch themselves in a conversation always emphasize that this day remains the Queen's Day.
The whole country is turning into a real madhouse. People pour into the streets of their cities, arrange parades and processions, there are traffic jams from barges and ships on the canals of cities, a sea of drinking, music is heard from everywhere. And most importantly, the whole holiday is held in orange colors: people, boats, signs, flags, streamers, garlands and even monuments - everything turns orange! Why orange? Orange is the color of the royal ruling dynasty of Orange-Nassau. It is with the royal family that the Dutch love for orange is associated.
On this day, Holland turns into a free trade zone: anyone can go outside with their goods and sell them, so cities, in addition to a big carnival, turn into big markets and flea markets.
But the main event takes place in Amsterdam, where both the Dutch themselves and tourists come. As soon as you leave the train station, you immediately pour into the orange river that carries you around Amsterdam. There are various musical scenes around the city, songs are heard from passing boats. The degree of the event is very high, but the police behave very calmly, do not interfere with the holiday in any way, and even vice versa.
The sutra block the traffic on the streets of the city, and turns into a huge pedestrian area. The whole country walks, from small to large. Emotions from what he saw are difficult to put into words, it's all you need to see with your own eyes and be in that atmosphere. Usually the holiday took place on April 30, the birthday of Queen Juliana, but now the holiday is celebrated on the birthday of the new king - April 27. Do not confuse!
Herring holiday
The herring holiday, which is so often written about in Russia, is not so popular in Holland. I asked the Dutch several times, in response they just shook their heads. It turned out that such a holiday still exists and is arranged in honor of the first catch of herring in the season.
The Hague hosts a race where the winner can present a herring royal family. This event takes place every year in June (usually on the first Saturday of June) on the North Sea coast. The holiday is also called the Day of Flags (Flaggetjesdag), because they decorate the embankments of sea towns.
On this day, you can enjoy the herring of the new catch. Everyone knows that the Dutch herring is special, and they eat it right on the street, taking it by the tail, in one sitting. They also sell buns with herring: like a hot dog, only with herring. Even those who do not eat herring are delighted.
The holiday is usually accompanied by musical orchestras, sellers sell herring at speed, and in the harbors, old ships welcome everyone. Herring, of course, is present in Holland not only on this holiday, but all year round.
Summer in Holland = festivals
In summer, Holland turns into a huge festival venue. Food festivals, music festivals, dance festivals, theater festivals and many others are held all over the country in different cities. You can just travel around Holland from concert to concert. In June, the Holland Festival usually starts, which takes place at 4 major cities– Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. In July, according to tradition, the Jazz Festival is held in The Hague.
Once every five years, the largest parade of boats and ships "Sail Amsterdam" is held in Amsterdam. In 2015, the Russian ships Mir, Nadezhda, Kruzenshtern and Sedov also took part in it. All ships and other vessels land on the banks of the Amstel River in Amsterdam, and for several days anyone can be on board any ship. In addition, the whole holiday is accompanied by a great entertainment program, of course, music venues and water activities.
Also in summer, theater festivals are held in various cities. They look very interesting and do not look like classic ideas about such events. Several dozen mobile homes on wheels stand in some park. There are usually few artists in these houses who invite them to their performances and performances for several days. Each team has its own prices for performances (most often 2-5 euros) and its own methods of enticing to a concert.
These are far from all the events that take place in the summer in Holland, but only a small part of them.
The four-day march is the largest in the world
In the oldest city of Holland, Nijmegen, the annual four-day march (Nijmeegse Vierdaagse) takes place, which is the most massive in the world! During the "world walk" for 4 days, thousands of participants walk 30, 40 or 50 kilometers a day along certain routes. This event was originally associated with military marches, and so far the marches have a complicated route for the military, where military personnel from different countries take part.
In 2013, Russian paratroopers took part in the Peace March and even brought medals home! Now, anyone of absolutely any age and from any country in the world can apply to participate in the march. By the way, the 100th anniversary march will start in 2016. The Dutch themselves are very fond of sports and public events, so this event gathers thousands of people every year. There is a very high interest in the march not only among the marchers, but also among everyone who likes to have fun. Because the four-day march is accompanied by a four-day festival (Vierdaagsefeesten).
The city itself is transformed beyond recognition. Suddenly, in a typical quiet town, the concentration of various music and festival venues per square meter begins to go off scale. Additional trains are allowed into Nijmegen, a camp for participants is built near the city. On the fourth day, the marchers go to Nijmegen itself. Residents of the city prepare in advance for this event, in the evening they put out old sofas and chairs along the route of the participants.
And the next day they actively meet the finishers. Citizens buy gladioluses and hand them over to their favorite participants. It was also amazing to me that the police only contribute to the festive atmosphere by regulating traffic, they dance, sing and greet the participants in every possible way.
Free Holland Holidays
Holland would not be herself if the free customs of this country were not reflected in the Dutch holidays.
In Holland, you hear announcements every now and then that next week there will be a gay pride parade in Amsterdam, in Rotterdam, and so on. This event is not isolated, colorful and specific. It is said to be similar to King's Day in terms of a river of people and many ships in the canals, but with its own specific bright hues. Sometimes only thanks to the flags you can understand that you are not at the usual carnival. Usually these holidays take place in late July - early August.
Every year at the end of May, the Legalization Party takes place here, where the procession participants rally against world day the fight against drugs. And right before the new year, at the end of November, a hemp festival is organized, which is timed to coincide with the autumn hemp harvest! And not just a festival, but a whole competitive event where winners are chosen in different categories: from the title of the best coffee shop to the best grass product.
Halloween in Holland
Not everyone in this country celebrates Halloween. I used to be sure that in Europe the celebration of this day is going on to the fullest and everywhere you can meet people in creepy costumes. But no, the cities are quiet, and young people mostly go to clubs where special parties are held. But still, you can feel the atmosphere of the most terrible holiday if you go to, where on Halloween a zombie parade takes place on Rokin Street! The action is awesome and impressive!
Festivals of Light
Light festivals that are now fashionable all over the world are also held in Holland. Among the most popular are the Light Festival in Eindhoven (Light Festival GLOW) and the Light Festival in Amsterdam (Amsterdam Light Festival).
Glow takes place every year in the second week of November. About fifty light installations of various scale and breadth of thought are presented in the city. Every year a new route around the city and new objects.
The Light Festival in Amsterdam starts from the beginning of December to the end of January. It has two routes, one water, another pedestrian, but in principle, both routes can be seen during a leisurely walk along the canals of the city. Various masters of light exhibit their work in the city, all installations have a common idea.
Of course, these events cannot be compared with similar shows in Moscow, but it is worth visiting them, especially in Amsterdam. The city is transformed in the light of the lights, and the pre-Christmas atmosphere only helps to look at the city differently. I have never seen him so calm and peaceful.
Museum Days in Holland
In addition to all the above holidays, you can not get around the days when all museums in Holland work for free or sell tickets for only 1 euro. More than five hundred state and not only museums and exhibitions open their doors to visitors. This is a great opportunity to get acquainted with Dutch culture and world masterpieces, but it is worth remembering that not only you know about this weekend, so you will have to stand in lines. Oh yes, these National Museumweekends take place on the second weekend of April each year.
Also, several times a year in different cities of the Netherlands, City Heritage Days (Open Monumentendag) are held, when museums reopen their doors to visitors for free or for a nominal fee.
Holidays and events in the Netherlands 2019: the most important festivals and highlights, national holidays and events in the Netherlands. Photos and videos, descriptions, reviews and times.
- Hot tours around the world
- June 15 – 17, 2019 Pinkpop
- June 16, 2019 Herring Festival in The Hague
Herring is one of the symbols of the Netherlands. This tender, lightly salted fish, seasoned with butter and finely chopped onions, is eaten by the Dutch throughout the year. But on the first or second Saturday of June in the seaside cities of the kingdom, and especially in The Hague.
- July 28 — August 5, 2019Gay Pride in Amsterdam
- 10 – 19 August 2019 Canal Festival in Amsterdam
- November 4 – 5, 2019 Museum Day in Amsterdam
- December 31, 2019 New Year and Christmas in the Netherlands
- December 31, 2019 New Year in Amsterdam
- April 17, 2020 National Museum Day in the Netherlands
- April 25 – 26, 2020 flower festival
- April 27, 2020 King's Day in Amsterdam
And from March 14 to March 23, in the life of the small Dutch town of Maastricht, significant event in the world of art: the TEFAF antique fair, which has been regularly held here since 1975, and during this time has become one of the most prestigious such events in the world. At the fair, masterpieces of painting and sculpture by world masters are put up for sale: it is very interesting to get here in time, because all these works of art will be in private collections by the end of the event.
It is not surprising that in a country famous throughout the world for its beautiful tulips, the spring season of flowering opens with a magical and stunningly beautiful spectacle - the Festival of Flowers.
It is not surprising that in a country famous throughout the world for its beautiful tulips, the spring season of flowering opens with a magical and stunningly beautiful spectacle - the Festival of Flowers. The Parade of Flowers (Bloemen Corso) begins on the morning of the third Saturday in April, when a column of cars leaves Noordwijk, decorated with the most incredible arrangements of fresh flowers, the aroma of which drives one crazy. Along with the cars, a huge number of singing and dancing people take part in the procession. It is worth saying that talented florists from all over the country start preparing for the holiday in a few days: they come up with how flower installations will look like, make illuminated fittings and decorate them with all kinds of flowers. The final stop of the parade is Keukenhof Park, famous throughout the country, where most flower festivals are held.
On April 30, one of its main national holidays is celebrated throughout the country - Queen's Day (Konninginnedag / Queen's Day), which is otherwise called National Unity Day. On this holiday, it is customary to dress in orange, the family color of the Orange dynasty. City streets are full of orange ribbons, flowers and flags. One of the most interesting traditions of the Queen's Day is the free market ("free market"): on this day, VAT is abolished for all stores by the Queen's decree.
On Queen's Day, parades, celebrations and festivals take place throughout the country. The main center of all this fun, of course, is Amsterdam, which is flooded with hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world. The streets of the city rattle with cheerful music, make noise with the interweaving of voices, and with the onset of darkness they glow brightly in the lights of festive fireworks.
It is known all over the world how the Dutch love bicycles - the inhabitants of the Netherlands spend about half of their lives in the saddle. Therefore, it was impossible to do without a special holiday, Cyclist's Day. On a beautiful May day, a significant part of the country's population gets on their bikes and travels around the country. Bicycle races are held in the cities, in which everyone can take part - cyclists from all over the world come here especially for this. People are having fun and walking, and cyclists of all nationalities, ages and levels of training are rushing through the streets, because all this does not matter, only freedom, wind in their hair and cries of support from the fans.
The tradition of calling the kingdom of the Netherlands Holland took root in our country during the reign of Peter I. Having visited the state on the North Sea coast in the early 18th century, the emperor was inspired by the rich culture and developed industry of the Dutch. Peter was especially impressed by the holidays in Holland, which were a truly impressive sight. We can say that almost nothing has changed in this regard over three centuries: today, as then, every solemn event is an occasion to have fun and demonstrate the full breadth of the Dutch soul.
"Hot" Dutch winter
Like the entire population of the planet, the Dutch are very fond of celebrating solemn events. One of the most notable and significant is the New Year, traditionally celebrated on the night of the first of January. The roar of fireworks and crackers, fireworks, loud music and the noise of parties - a similar picture can be observed throughout the day. The most typical gift for the New Year in Holland is a beautiful pot with tulip bulbs planted in it - a symbol of success, prosperity and prosperity. Children are traditionally waiting for surprises from St. Nicholas, who puts all the presents in shoes on the porch.
Before Lent, at the very end of winter, the Dutch celebrate "Fat Tuesday" - an analogue of Russian Shrovetide; at the same time, grandiose carnivals take place all over the country.
The end of February - the beginning of March in Holland are always the same: noisy parades, costume processions, giant puppets walking through the streets, various bizarre structures on wheels - locals say goodbye to winter and welcome spring with joy.
Spring is coming, spring is on the way!
With the onset of spring, the Netherlands wakes up and comes to life, blooming in all its vegetative splendor. April 6 starts one of the most impressive spectacles not only in the country, but throughout the world - the flower festival in Holland.
As a rule, the event is a procession of unique beauty: accompanied by brass bands and smart people, grandiose flower platforms are carried along the streets, which are created using millions of flowers grown in all corners of the country. Lovers of floristry from all over the world try to see this celebration: thousands of guests come to the celebration, which always ends in the same place - the small town of Haarlem. Here, all the compositions will stand for 10 days, delighting tourists and local residents with their magnificence.
Catholic Easter falls in March or April - one of the most beloved holidays for the Dutch. Churches are traditionally decorated with an abundance of white flowers, all believers come to a solemn mass, after which every Catholic hurries to his home, where he will have a festive dinner with close relatives.
One of the main national holidays in Holland is Queen's Day. On April 30, many residents of the country tend to come to the capital - where the main festive events. According to tradition, on this day, all participants in the celebration should wear something orange: a wig, a bow, a blouse or even a crown. In honor of the royal person, a large-scale music festival is held near the royal palace, the apogee of which is a grandiose salute.
Among the May holidays, a special place is occupied by the Day of the cyclist. This is not surprising, because the bicycle is recognized as one of the most popular modes of transport in the Netherlands; even the police often drive around the streets on this particular vehicle.
Opening of the "fish" season
Summer in Holland is considered the "fishing" season, since it is at this time of the year that fishing begins at sea. In the seaside town of Scheveningen, on this occasion, one of the most interesting and original dates is celebrated annually - the herring festival in Holland. The history of this event has more than six centuries. Once upon a time in the Middle Ages, an old fisherman named Willem Beckels guessed to remove the insides and gills from the herring and salt it right in the sea water. So, the fetid food for convicts and the poor turned into a real delicacy, the "calling card" of the Netherlands.
By tradition, the first barrel with the most selective herring is presented as a gift to the queen, and the second is sold at auction. Fish lovers are sometimes willing to pay several thousand dollars for this delicacy. But this does not mean that only rich guests of the holiday can try the “gift of the sea”: herring is sold here on every corner, at the most affordable price and in all forms - salted, fried, dried and even in the form of hot dogs!
It is worth noting that food occupies a special place in the life of the Dutch, each meal is a small celebration at a beautifully set table and with an abundance of delicious dishes. It is not surprising that in the country on almost every corner you can find numerous cafes, pizzerias and even a very, for example, children's restaurant, where all the service is performed by young waiters and bartenders who are barely 12 years old.
At the end of August, the people of the Netherlands can fully demonstrate their love for various delicacies by celebrating the food festival. Grandiose restaurants are organized in the open air, where food and drinks can be purchased for special, festival money.
Autumn in Holland passes quite calmly, only on November 11 they celebrate St. Martin's Day, be sure to bake a goose as the main treat.
Dutch holiday calendar ends catholic christmas, December 25. By this time, almost all houses are already decorated with Christmas tree branches and colorful garlands, and blue and white wagons traditionally appear on the streets, where you can buy incredibly delicious Christmas donuts and cheesecakes.
Date Name Name in the Netherlands
January 1 Nieuwjaar New Year
March, April Good Friday"Goede Vrijdag
March-April Easter Pasen
April 30 Queen's Day Koninginnedag
May 4 Memorial Day Dodenherdenking
5 May Dutch Liberation Day Bevrijdingsdag
40 days after Easter Ascension of the Lord Hemelvaartsdag
7 weeks after Easter Holy Trinity Day Pinksteren
December 25, 26 Christmas Kerstmis
Easter in the Netherlands
On Friday, preparations for the holiday begin, this is a short day, everyone is in a hurry to skimp in stores and rather go home. Please note that most shops will be closed on Sunday and Monday, with the exception of a few large supermarkets and shopping centers. Although in the Netherlands the church has weakened its position as much as in any other country in the world, nevertheless, services are held in the surviving churches. These days they are decorated with white flowers, in addition, you will definitely be pleased with church choristers or just playing chamber music.
Birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands
The main holiday in the country is the birthday of Queen Beatrix, who is a relative of the Queen of Great Britain. For 120 years, only women have been sitting on the throne in the Netherlands. The holiday is celebrated on April 30, this day is not a birthday reigning queen Beatrix. It is the birthday of the Queen's mother, namely Julianne. After 32 years of celebrating a birthday on April 30, it was hard for the Dutch to adjust to new date January 31st. Therefore, it was decided to leave the old birthday. The holiday usually takes place on the last Saturday of April, on this day the whole of Holland dresses in royal orange. A music festival is held in The Hague on this day, and a carnival is held in Amsterdam. On the same day, the Freimarket takes place - the day of trade without VAT. In all major cities, a flower parade takes place, because it is by the end of March that tulips bloom in the Netherlands.
Labor Day in the Netherlands. May 1st. May holidays in the Netherlands
The May holidays in Holland have the same meaning as us. The Labor Party has a huge political and social influence on society. Particularly large manifestations do not take place in the cities of the country, however, for foreign tourists, a visit to the country on these warm spring days would be very remarkable. The magnificent nature of the Netherlands is blooming these days, millions of tulips will meet you at every step, city streets are also buried in them.
Christmas in the Netherlands
The Dutch believe that various miracles happen on Christmas Eve, a fairy tale and an aura of magic, as if at the behest of a magic wand, envelops the streets of cities in the Netherlands. Festive illumination, illumination of buildings, colorful lanterns, fireworks and deafening crackers, Christmas markets and festive festivities will meet you if you take the Netherlands to visit at this time.
