In the Netherlands, Christmas is a time for reunions with loved ones, good food, and long-standing customs. The arrival of Sinterklaas on the second weekend of November marks the beginning of the holiday, which happens well before Christmas itself. Businesses and towns around the Netherlands get into the holiday spirit after Sinterklaas departs on December 6th by stringing up lights, candles, and wreaths. Dutch Christmas trees are decorated with lights and kerstkranjes (Dutch Christmas cookies with a central hole). Appelbollen, fried apple beignets, oliebollen, kerststol, a sweet bread loaf filled with raisins and seasoned with cinnamon, and banketstaaf, pastry with a creamy almond paste, are typical Dutch Christmas foods. The 25th of December, also known as Eerste Kerstdag, is the first day of Christmas in the Netherlands. The second day of Christmas, on the 26th, is called Tweede Kerstdag.
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Christmas Traditions in the Netherlands
The number of Christians in the Netherlands ranges only between 18% and 25% of the population, but they still celebrate Christmas, a joyous, secular festival. Among the many unique Dutch Christmas customs and celebrations are Sinterklaas, Midwinter Horn (Midwinterhoorn), Christmas Markets, Zwarte Piet, and Sunday School:
- Sinterklaas Celebration: Children in the Netherlands look forward to December 5th more than any other day of the year because that’s when Sinterklaas delivers them gifts. The main festivities happen on this night, which is called Sinterklaasavond (“Sinterklaas evening”). When Sinterklaas makes his way to a Dutch town or city through November, the servants known as “Zwarte Pieten” or “Sooty Pieten” accompany him, and the church bells ring out.
- Christmas Day: The Christmas Day in the Netherlands is emphasized on worship and food. But some households still observe a unique “Sunday School” at church, during which the Christmas Story and other tales are recited. Since most gifts are distributed by Sinterklaas, this is the only day when Dutch children receive their Christmas gifts.
- Christmas Markets: During Christmas, the country hosts some festivities, including Christmas markets where tourists shop, listen to carols, and see light displays. The biggest market in the nation is in Haarlem. Smaller towns and villages also showcase some local Dutch events.
- Decoration and Music: Holly and pine boughs, simple lights, candles, and themed trees are typical of Dutch Christmas decorations. Another common choice is poinsettias. A musical tradition known as the “Midwinter horn” originated in the eastern part of the Netherlands and it is played in the weeks before Christmas both in this country and in North Germany.
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Sinterklaas: Dutch Christmas is Built Different
The mythical character of Sinterklaas is based on the patron saint of children, Saint Nicholas. On December 6, the feast of Saint Nicholas is observed according to Sinterklaas tradition, and on St. Nicholas’ Eve, which falls on December 5th, the Dutch begin exchanging gifts. Saint Nicholas Day is also observed in Belgium, Luxembourg, western Germany, northern France, and Hungary on this day. Aruba is one of the former Dutch Empire territories that still observes the practice.
Sinterklaas “arrives” at a specified beach town, purportedly from Spain, by steamboat in the middle of November. Children shout and sing traditional Sinterklaas songs as they greet Sinterklaas as he disembarks from the steamboat and rides his horse through the streets. This tradition does not explicitly say that Sinterklaas is Spanish; rather, it says that he must go to Spain in order to retrieve the pomegranates and oranges. The oranges, a popular 19th-century dessert, are therefore the connecting thread between Sinterklaas and Spain.
Eventually, he made Spain his home and the link to oranges faded. Zwarte Piet, also known as Black Pete, is a figure in the Sinterklaas legend and is believed to be Sinterklaas’ sidekick. In recent years, Zwarte Piet‘s portrayal has sparked debate about whether or not the figure represents racial stereotypes. To address these issues, Zwarte Piet has been rethought in several areas; for example, he is now shown as a chimney sweep coated in soot or with a different colored face.
Sinterklaas Celebration vs. Christmas Celebration
Sinterklaas
In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas and Christmas are not the same thing. Also spelled Sint, the day Sinterklaas is celebrated (on the evening of December 5) is called Pakjesavond or “gifts evening,” when gifts are distributed among Dutch people. Midway through November, Sinterklaas rides in a gondola decorated with candy canes. He arrives in the country aboard a ship from Spain and rides Amerigo, a white-grey horse, in the Netherlands. This festival has 300 years of roots.
Christmas
On the other hand, Christmas Day in the Netherlands is relatively calmer, as families generally gather for a feast. Santa Claus and his Christmas duties take many cues from the Dutch Sinterklaas but Santa Claus and Sinterklaas use different modes of transportation; the former arrives on a steamship and then rides a horse, and the latter uses a sleigh driven by reindeer. Plus, national television in the Netherlands always broadcasts Sinterklaas’ arrival in the Netherlands and Belgium, which puts the emphasis on this character’s celebration rather than the Christmas celebration itself.
Traditional Dutch Christmas Foods
The following are examples of typical Dutch Christmas dishes and sweets including kerststol bread, banketstaaf dessert, kerstkranjes biscuits, and Jan Hagel cookies:
- Gourmet Food: The Dutch love to make and consume gourmet food around Christmastime. Meat, fish, and veggies are grilled on a little barbecue right at the table and as a result, everyone makes their own Christmas meal to their liking.
- Kerststol: It is a classic Christmas bread from the Netherlands that is filled with marzipan, raisins, and currants. On Christmas mornings, it’s common to have it for breakfast or a snack.
- Banketstaaf: This is one traditional Dutch Christmas dessert that is filled with almond paste, resembles marzipan, and sometimes has spices like nutmeg and cinnamon added to it.
- Jan Hagel Cookies: Dutch Christmas cookies known as Jan Hagel are known for their almond, cinnamon, and crystallized sugar taste. To go with a cup of tea or coffee, they are sliced into forms.
- Boerenjongens: As a classic Dutch dessert, it consists of soaked dried fruits like raisins and currants in brandy or rum. It is used as a pastry filling or a topping for ice cream.
- Hazelnootschuimtaart: Hazelnut meringue cake is known as hazelnootschuimtaart in the Netherlands. Hazelnut and chocolate flavors permeate the layers of meringue and whipped cream that make it up.
- Kerstkransjes: Often served with icing and sprinkles, Kerstkransjes are typical Dutch Christmas biscuits styled like wreaths.
The Typical Christmas Meal
A typical Dutch Christmas meal consists of a shrimp or seafood cocktail as a starter, supported by cream-based soups. The main course is meat-based, such as venison, goose, hare, turkey, or rabbit (stew). Bacon, potato, and croquettes form the side dishes, and Kerststol (Christmas bread), Banketstaaf (almond paste pastry), Jan Hagel cookies, and Boerenjongens (dried fruit and nut pudding) are popular Christmas desserts. Finally, people drink red wine during Christmas in the Netherlands.
Christmas Decorations in the Netherlands
The Dutch appreciate nature and simplicity; thus, traditional Dutch Christmas decorations tend to be rustic and uncomplicated.
- Christmas Trees: Lights, decorations, and tinsel decorate the Christmas trees and another trend that’s gaining traction is themed trees.
- Natural Decorations: Pinecones and holly branches are examples of natural decorations.
- Lights and Candles: Simple lighting, such as candles and lights, goes a long way toward setting the mood for a relaxing evening.
- Paper Lamps: Children sing songs and hold paper lights during the Sint Maarten festivities in early November.
- Sinterklaas Decorations: Sinterklaas makes a grand entrance at the end of November, and that’s why decorations honoring him are so important. Images of Sinterklaas, his white horse, and his elves are common street and house decorations.