Dutch (public) holidays and festive days

January 1: New Year's Day (Nieuwjaarsdag) All shops and offices are closed. People may drop by and wish you a Happy New Year. Most people relax this day after the late night festivities of the evening before.

February: Carnival (Carnaval) Mostly celebrated in the South of Holland (Brabant, ) though many towns and villages celebrate by choosing a "Prince Carnaval.". There are parades; people dress up in all kinds of costumes. A very festive period with many parties.

February 14: Valentine’s Day (Valentijnsdag) An imported holiday, the celebration of Valentine's Day began only a few years ago. It is celebrated in Dutch style with flowers, chocolates, gifts and cards.

March/April: Sunday (Pasen) In the Easter is celebrated on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (Tweede paasdag). As well as on all shops are closed. On Easter Sunday people usually have a large Easter breakfast. The children hunt for eggs, hard-boiled and brightly painted, or chocolate eggs in silver or gold foil.

April/May: Ascension Day (Hemelvaart) Christian celebration which falls on the Thursday 40 days after Easter, (or 10 days before Pinksteren) in remembrance of the ascension of Christ into heaven. This is a public holiday.

April/May: (Pinksteren) Fifty days following Easter is Pentecote, commemorating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It has more of a "May Day" feeling today, and not so much of the religious significance. The Saturday before is called "Luilak". Children either get up very early, make noise in an attempt to wake you up and pull some pranks such as throwing eggs or draping toilet paper in your garden. It is a good idea to disconnect your doorbell! Park your car in a garage if possible, otherwise it may be covered in soap. Some towns have flower markets that go through the night. Tweede Pinksterdag (Monday) is also a public holiday.

April 27: Kingsday () The of King Willem-Alexander is a national holiday. The King chooses two towns to visit on this day and participates in the festivities. Many houses show the Dutch flag in combination with an banner, for the House of Orange. On this day everyone may sell goods in a "free market" and particularly in cities such as it is a colorful and crowded celebration, often including music festivals.

May 4: (Dodenherdenking) It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II. Ceremonies are held on The Dam in Amsterdam across from the Royal Palace, and near at the Waalsdorpervlakte. At exactly 8 pm two minutes of silence are and all people are expected to stop their activities at that time and reflect upon those who fought for the freedom of the Netherlands.

May 5: Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) The end of World War II is celebrated. Every five years this is celebrated as a national holiday. There are many school and community activities, often including music festivals.

September: Prinsjesdag (State Opening of Parliament) The third Tuesday in September is Prinsjesdag and the official state opening of Parliament. The King

gives his annual speech to Parliament. He rides through the streets of The Hague with the Queen and royal entourage in a golden carriage.

November 11: St. Maarten (regional) It is the Dutch equivalent of Halloween, mostly celebrated in the provinces of North-Holland and . Children walk through the streets carrying lighted lanterns, ring your doorbell, sing a song and receive some candy sweets, fruit or biscuits. Don’t forget to buy the sweets.

December 5: “” Saint Nicolas or Sinterklaas celebrates his birthday! In the early evening he will visit the houses bringing lots of gifts. This celebration is a cosy evening with family and friends purchasing gifts for each other, sometimes in a funny packaging accompanied by a humorous poem. Shops and offices usually close an hour early. Several weeks before Sinterklaas arrives with his "Zwarte Pieten" on a boat with much fanfare. Dressed in red and white robes, he is a formidable figure, carrying a golden staff and riding through the streets on a white horse. Children may thereafter place their shoe in front of the chimney, with straw or carrots for the horse and perhaps a wish list. Next morning they will find a small gift or candy. Many special foods are enjoyed in this season such as marzipan, "banket letter" (a pastry filled with almond paste),chocolate letters in your initial and “pepernoten” (a cookie-like kind of confectionary).

December 24: Eve (Kerstavond) Church services held in the evening, often in candle lit cathedrals. Some Catholic Churches have life size nativity displays inside of the church.

December 25/26: Christmas (Kerst and Tweede Kerstdag) On Christmas day the family celebrates with a big dinner and exchanging of presents. Many churches hold Christmas morning services as well. Boxing Day or the Second Christmas day is less formal and people visit friends. Dining out with exclusive meals is very popular during the holidays.

December 31: New Year's Eve (Oudejaarsavond or Oud en Nieuw) This evening is celebrated with lots and lots of fireworks throughout the entire country at midnight to welcome the New Year. This is a family occasion with everyone celebrating together and eating "oliebollen" (a sphere-shaped variety of dumpling also known as Dutch Doughnuts), with or without raisins and “appelflappen”, which is a type of sugar sprinkled donut with apple in the middle. A toast of champagne welcomes the New Year.

If you want to visit a party in a bar you have to buy a ticket before! There are hardly any public parties. There are some parties for expats, ask your agent!