Hello and Merry Christmas!
We would love to share some of our holiday traditions with you so you can enjoy them just as much as we do!
We will begin by sharing a bit about our beloved Sinterklaus and move through some time honored sentimental bits and pieces of what make uo the holiday traditions for the Dutch.
Let's talk a little about our Sinterklaus!
Before we can even begin preparing for Christmas, we have to acknowledge Sinterklaus! Sinterklaus ushers in the holiday season for the Dutch and it is the most exciting event of the year for that very reason! Sinterklaas isn't exactly a Christmas celebration, but it's a tradition which marks the beginning of the winter holidays and Christmas in particular.
Celebrated for over 300 years in the Netherlands, and a delight for children both big and small, on December 5, Sinterklaas is said to come by steamboat from Spain. Tradition is that Sinterklaas visits the homes of every child and leaves them gifts or treats. He’s accompanied by Zwarte Piet, his assistant, whose face is covered with soot for going down the chimney to leave gifts for all the children. Sounds like a dirty job, but someone has to do it!
The origins of Sinterklaas predate the anglicized tradition of Santa Claus and there within lies the delineating factor between Santa Claus and Sinterklaus. Santa Claus, in fact, draws inspiration from Sinterklaas which was adopted shortly after the Dutch colonization of America. Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Santa Claus all have something in common and that’s simply the connection with the birth of Jesus at Christmas since they all have ties to the Christian church and were bishops or saints.
December 5h is fast approaching and we couldn’t be more excited if we tried!
Gifts boxes or Kerstpakketten warm the heart of every Dutchman!
Another lovely tradition during the Christmas season occurs if you just so happen to work in a Dutch company. The annual kerstpakket, or annual gift giving, is something everyone looks forward to who works within these parameters. The gift usually comes as a Christmas gift box or basket which is given out by supervisors to all their staff shortly before Christmas. It’s a kind and lovely show of gratitude for the time and effort put into the job. The tradition of kerstpakketten comes from an historical tradition of giving out a box of food to farm workers to take home to their families for Christmas. Working people in the Netherlands have this lovely tradition to look forward to each Christmas season.
The Christmas Tree!
One of the most iconic and recognizable traditions of the Christmas season is the Christmas Tree! So much lore surrounds the very essence of the Christmas Tree and in the Netherlands, Dutch Christmas trees (kerstbomen) pop up all over the municipalities centers, homes, and landmarks soon after the Sinterklaas eve. Tree trimming is a fun activity for the whole family, and since we, at Daffodils & Delft, are somewhat partial to the ornaments of Royal Delft, we always choose a blue and white basic theme for our ornaments, but also choose one or two additional colors to mark the year. This makes for a stunning effect with an element of surprise associated with it!
Kerstman!
The Dutch also have their own Father Christmas or Santa Claus called Kerstman. In the Netherlands, he is viewed as a poor relative to Sinterklaas. Kerstman is not as popular as Sinterklaas but still very much worth mentioning.
In the Netherlands, people celebrate Christmas for two days. The first on the 24th of December and the second on the 25th. During these two days, families and friends spend time visiting each other's homes. It is a most magical time as everyone is celebrating the meaning of Christmas as one.
Dutch Treats!
Did anyone say, “Chocolate”? Lekker! Dutch Christmas treats are perfectly perfect and sometimes even perfectly imperfect! They traditionally consist of ingredients such as spices, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, and more chocolate. Some of the typical treats are:
- Kruidnoten - ginger nuts
- Kerstkransjes – 'wreath cookies' (used also to decorate the Christmas tree)
- Kerststol – a fruited Dutch Christmas loaf
- Speculaas - spiced biscuits
- Appelbeignets – Dutch apple fritters
- Advocaat - egg-yolk liqueur
- Bischopswijn – Dutch mulled wine
Finally, we will wrap up our thoughts on Dutch Christmas Traditions with Dutch Christmas Songs!
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without traditional Dutch Christmas songs such as Sinterklaas, Goed Heilig Man (Saint Nicholas, Good Holy Man), Hoor de Wind Waait de Bomen (The wind keeps blowing), Hoor Wie Stapt Daar Kinderen (Someone is coming, children). If you're ambitious enough to learn a Dutch Christmas song yourself, visit this site for English translations.
Have a very Vrolijk Kersfeest!
Merry Dutch Christmas! We hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about Dutch Traditions!