Planning to visit Netherlands in 2019? Get the most out of your experience! Learn here about the most important holidays in Netherlands - fast and easy with DutchPod101!
| April 19, 2019 | Good Friday |
| April 22, 2019 | Easter Monday |
| April 27, 2019 | King’s Day |
| May 4, 2019 | National Remembrance Day |
| May 5, 2019 | Liberation Day |
| May 10, 2019 | Ascension Day |
| May 14, 2019 | Mother’s Day |
| June 9, 2019 | Pentecost |
| June 10, 2019 | Whit Monday |
| September 15, 2019 | Prince’s Day |
| October 4, 2019 | World Animal Day |
| November 11, 2019 | St Martin’s Day |
How well do you know holidays in Netherlands?
In this article, you learn all about the top Netherlands holidays and the traditions and history behind them. Check the must-know Dutch vocabulary for popular holidays in Netherlands too!
That way, you can easily talk about Dutch holidays while improving your vocabulary and overall speaking skills. You will pick up key vocab, phrases, and cultural insights you won’t find in a textbook.
Perfect for any student interested in learning more about Dutch culture. We will teach you the what, why, when and how of Netherlands holidays.
Good Friday or Goede Vrijdag is the day when Jesus was crucified on Calvary Hill near Jerusalem. The name Good Friday is related to the fact that Jesus sacrificed himself for humanity and for the forgiveness of sins committed by the people. Christians celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was about to conquer death.
The date of Easter (Pasen), is hard to determine, because it depends on two astronomical elements: the beginning of spring and the full moon. The only thing that can be said for sure is that Easter cannot fall earlier than March 22 or later than April 25.
On Easter day, Christians all over the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
Holland provides the flowers used to decorate Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square, and in appreciation of this, each year the Pope is always sure to say Bedankt voor de bloemen, which means, “Thank you for the flowers.”
King’s Day is a nationally recognized holiday that’s all about celebrating and having fun. The excitement starts on the eve of King’s Day, when everyone goes to town dressed in orange. King’s Day is called that because it marks the birthday of King (koning) Willem-Alexander, on April 27.
May 4 is Remembrance Day in the Netherlands. Victims of war are commemorated on this day at eight o’clock in the evening sharp, with a two-minute moment of silence. In every municipality in the Netherlands, commemorative ceremonies are held near a local war memorial.
On this day, the Dutch people celebrate the country’s liberation from Nazi Germany in 1945.
Thirteen liberation festivals are organized each year to celebrate National Liberation Day. Well-known Dutchmen are designated “Ambassadors of liberty,” or Ambassadeurs van de Vrijheid, and are transported by helicopter to the Liberation Day festivals. They make appearances all day and lead awareness campaigns under the motto “Freedom we all make together,” or in Dutch vrijheid maak je met elkaar.”
Ascension Day (Hemelvaart) is the day Dutch people commemorate Jesus Christ finally finding his way back to heaven. As Easter comes on a different day each year, so does Ascension Day, falling exactly forty days after Easter and always on a Thursday (donderdag). On this day, public officials and other workers are obligated to take the day off, but many stores keep their regular hours, drawing many to venture out into bigger cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht to go shopping (winkelen).
Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday of May.
Dutch people celebrate Mother’s Day mindful of the fact that our mothers assume the role of caregiver (verzorgster) for the family throughout the entire year. Therefore, on this one day of the year, children make a point of giving their mothers a much-needed break. Children pamper their moms, often starting the day off with breakfast (ontbijt), made by the kids and served in bed.
Pentecost, (Pinksteren), comes exactly ten days after Ascension Day and 40 days after Easter. Like Christmas and Easter, the Pentecost holiday lasts for two days. Whereas Pentecost was originally a feast of thanks for bringing in a good harvest, it has taken on a new meaning since the second century AD, namely as a day of commemoration of the Covenant between God and Israel.
In the Netherlands, Whit Monday immediately follows Pentecost, and is seven weeks after Easter Day. As this is a public holiday and happens to be near the beginning of the warmer season, many people choose to spend their day off outdoors with friends and family. Shopping is another common activity on this day.
Prince’s Day or [Prinsjesdag] falls on the third Tuesday of September each year. This day marks the opening of the yearly congressional session for the Dutch bicameral legislature. On this day, the King gives the “Speech of Throne” or [troonrede], and the Minister of Finance presents the national budget proposal to the Dutch House of Representatives, or in Dutch, Staten-Generaal.
Prince’s Day is the only day that the Golden Carriage (Gouden Koets) ever ventures out. The Golden Carriage is a coach owned and used by the Dutch royal family. It’s made of teak wood, much of which is covered in gold leaf, decorated with paintings and symbolic ornaments; it’s drawn by eight horses.
Since most people don’t know the exact date of birth of their pets, instead of birthdays Dutch people celebrate World Animal Day or [Werelddierendag] on October 4. On this day, pets and animals in general get lots of extra love and attention.
In the city, there are few places where a dog (hond) can run freely. Therefore on World Animal Day, Dutch people head to some of the few large, open areas where dogs can meet plenty of playmates. Even if one’s pet is a rabbit (konijn), some choose to experiment with letting them roam free in their yards.
The Netherlands also has its own version of Halloween, St. Martin’s Day (Sint-Maarten), which is celebrated about two weeks after, on November 11. As with Halloween, the kids go door to door with lanterns, singing special St. Martin’s Day songs for candy.
You may ask why it is advantageous to know Dutch holidays. There are a number of good reasons!
If you’re keen to learn Dutch on your own, there are a number of ways to do this. Why not choose holidays as a theme? You can start by learning about the Dutch culture, so find a video or TV program about holidays in Netherlands. Better still - find a video or program about holidays in Dutch, and watch it a few times! That way your ear will get used to the spoken language. You could also watch Dutch movies without subtitles, as this too will train your ear to what correct Dutch sounds like.
If you’re more advanced in Dutch, you can practice your writing skills by writing a letter to your Dutch friend about the holidays video. Or write a short review of the video, and post it on social media! Imagine how impressed your friends will be!
Practice your Dutch pronunciation, and record yourself talking about your holiday in Netherlands. Pronouncing words correctly in any language is very important, or you may find yourself saying things you don’t mean!
If you’re an absolute beginner, it would be best to start with a book, a CD series, free PDF cheat sheets and preferably your Dutch friend who can help you. Or, you can start with DutchPod101, for free!
Holidays in Netherlands can also be the perfect opportunity to practice your Dutch! For the best experience, make sure to master at least Level 1 of your Dutch lessons here on DutchPod101 before you go on holiday to Netherlands. Then don’t be shy! Use it with every native speaker you encounter in every situation. Practicing continuously to speak a language is one of the most important habits if you want to become fluent. Or, if you’re a new subscriber to DutchPod101 in a hurry to get to Netherlands, study Absolute Beginner Dutch for Every Day to help you get by as a traveller - you will be surprised how far a little Dutch can go!
DutchPod101 is uniquely geared to help you master relevant, everyday vocabulary and phrases, pronounced correctly and in the right context - this will set you on the right track. Our courses are perfectly designed to help you in fun ways!
But do have a holiday first. Ideally you will enjoy a different culture with a visit, and enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. Don’t wait till 2020 to learn Dutch through DutchPod101 though - it will open a whole new world for you!
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