At its core, Christmas commemorates Christ’s birth, but holiday traditions vary around the globe based on a family’s religious affiliation and ethnic background. In Europe, here are 25 surprising facts about Christmas in the Netherlands.
After living in the Netherlands for nearly four years, I moved back to the US. My American friends were often confused about the European nation about half the size of Maine. So, here is a quick overview:
- The Netherlands has a long, North Sea coastline. It shares an eastern border with Germany and a southern border with Belgium.
- The country is often called Holland after two of its more populated provinces. But calling the entire country “Holland” is like calling the United States “New York” or “California” — and this Midwestern girl says, “Just don’t!”
- It is famous for tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, Heineken beer, and Gouda cheese.
- The people of the Netherlands are Dutch. Don’t confuse them with the Danish who are from Denmark.
Discover how the Dutch make the holiday season special with these 25 surprising facts about Christmas in the Netherlands.
How Do You Celebrate Christmas?
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The Dutch Have Separate Holidays for Gift Giving and Christmas
This is listed as the top of my article about Christmas in the Netherlands. Why? Because I get a shocking amount of nasty comments and hate e-mails from Dutch folks who are upset to see Sinterklaas, the Dutch inspiration for Santa Claus, appearing in a post about Christmas.
Yes, I know that there are two separate holidays in the Netherlands. It’s one of the things I love most about your holiday traditions! (Okay, I also reallylove Carnaval.) But my readers are mostly Americans. And here in the US, you’ll see holiday decorations show up in stores as early as July and halls decked the second the last trick-or-treater leaves on Halloween. They would be confused if I left out the whole gift-giving holiday a few weeks earlier in December.
1. Pakjesavond is for Presents (Not Christmas Eve)
One of my favorite Dutch holiday traditions is that there are separate holidays for gift giving and Christmas. Well-behaved children receive presents from Sinterklaas on December 5th, Pakjesavond,instead of Christmas Eve.Pakjesavond literally means “presents evening.” (And similar to Christmas in the United States, naughty children are warned that they might get a lump of coal instead.)
2. Sinterklaas First, Then Christmas
The Dutch separate Sinterklaas and gift giving from Christmas. The general rule is Sinterklaas first, then Christmas via two distinct and separate holiday celebrations.
3. No Christmas Trees Until After Sinterklaas
While many Americans will put up Christmas trees around Thanksgiving (or earlier), Christmas trees aren’t put up in the Netherlands until after Sinterklaas. So don’t expect to see decked halls until December 7th.
Sage Advice: Here’s how to experience a bit of Christmas in the Netherlands right here in the United States.
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Who is Sinterklaas?
4. Sinterklaas Instead of Santa
Instead of Santa Claus, the Dutch have Sinterklaas. Also known as Saint Nicholas (or Sint Nicolaas in Dutch), this Christian saint is revered as the patron saint of children and sailors.
But Sinterklaas is also the patron saint of prostitutes, an interesting wrinkle in a nation where prostitution has been legal for several decades. The connection between Saint Nicholas and prostitutes is why foil-wrappedchocolate coins are a common treat for children from Sinterklaas. (See fact #12 for more about chocolate coins.)
5. Sinterklaas Arrives by Boat
While most Europeans begin celebrating Christmas on December 1st, the Dutch begin the first Saturday after November 11th when Sinterklaas arrives on a boat from Spain, often docking in a port city.
6. Sinterklaas Dresses Like a Catholic Bishop
While Sinterklaas and Santa Claus share white hair and a long beard, Sinterklaas dresses like a Catholic bishop in long red robes and a mitre hat.
7. Sinterklaas Rides a Horse
Instead of a sleigh pulled by a team of reindeer led by Rudolph, Sinterklaas rides a white horse named Ozosnel.
8. Elves Don't Help Sinterklaas
Rather than elves, Sinterklaas has helpers called Zwarte Piet (Black Peter). They dress in 16th-century clothes featuring a large, ruffled collar.
9. Zwarte Piet is Controversial
Traditionally, Zwarte Piet is black because he’s of North African descent. Some will say that his face is black from climbing down chimneys to deliver presents as Sinterklaas stops on rooftops at night. Either way, the idea of Zwarte Piet has been called racist by some, so many Zwarte Piet have evolved from full blackface to a few soot marks.
10. Shoes Instead of Stockings
Rather than hanging stockings, well-behaved children eagerly leave their shoes out for Sinterklaas to fill. They often leave carrots, hay, or sugar cubes for Sinterklaas’ horse along with a poem or letter for him.
11. A Feast Day Fit for a Saint
December 6th, Sinterklaas’ Feast Day, is actually the day he died and not his birthday.
Holiday Treats in the Netherlands
12. The Story Behind Chocolate Coins
Zwarte Piet carries a bag filled with goodies, usually chocolate coins and mandarin oranges. The sack of gifts, in particular the foil-wrapped chocolate coins, are symbolic of the assistance Saint Nicholas gave a poor father back in the 3rd century. The father didn’t have a dowry for his three daughters, a necessity for marriage in Asia Minor at the time. To save the young women from the alternative — a life of prostitution — Sinterklaas dropped three sacks of gold coins down the chimney.
13. An Alphabet of Chocolate
Nearly everyone receives a large chocolate letter of their first initial in their wooden shoes from Sinterklaas.
14. Magnificent Marzipan
Chocolate and pastry shop windows are full of marzipan delights at Christmastime, shaping the almond paste into everything from fruits to animals.
15. Tasty Tree Trimmings
Most Dutch people make or purchase kerstkransjes, wreath-shaped almond cookies tied with a ribbon that are hung on the Christmas tree. As you might expect, these usually quickly disappear soon after the tree is trimmed with only the ribbons remaining.
16. A Local Take on Spiked Eggnog
A thick, brandy-spiked variation of eggnog called advocaat is often served over the holidays.
Related Article: Tasty Dutch Treats You MUST Try in the Netherlands
Christmastime in the Netherlands
17. Celebrate Twice!
The 25th and 26th of December are public holidays in the Netherlands, often spent as family get-togethers playing games and enjoying holiday feasts. With gifts out of the way earlier in the month, this is typically a time for family gatherings. Many families spend the time playing games together and enjoying holiday feasts.
The second day of Christmas in the Netherlands is Saint Stephen’s Day. Some Dutch families will also attend church on December 26th to honor him, the first Christian martyr known for his service to the poor and needy.
Sage Advice: To wish someone Merry Christmas in Dutch, say Vrolijk Kerstfeest.
18. The Dutch Version of Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer
If you think Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer is quirky, wait until you hear the Dutch Christmas song about a boy whose lost rabbit ends up as the Christmas dinner!”
19. Focus on Family
Because children have already received presents from Sinterklaas earlier in the month, Christmas is typically celebrated by spending time with family.
20. And Amazing Food
Each of the two days of Christmas is usually celebrated with lots of food. Whether the main dish is fish, seafood, poultry, or pork — more on all of that in a minute — it is typically accompanied by vegetable side dishes.
The meal also includes rich breads like oliebollen, a type of doughnut hole-like bread with currents, raisins, or apple bits that’s often dusted with powdered sugar for an extra festive touch. Another popular Christmas dish is stollena bread-like cake filled with marzipan and bits of fruit.
21. Embracing the Nation's Coastline
As a country of sailors with a long coastline, fish is often featured on Christmas including mussels, sea shrimp, salmon, and eel.
22. Or Other Traditions
But the Christmas meal can also feature roast goose, venison, or pork. It’s also common to serve rabbit (hopefully not the one being searched for in #18) or a rollade (thin slices of beef, pork, or chicken that are stuffed, rolled, and roasted).
23. Toot Your Own Horn
In rural eastern areas of the country, handmade horns are carved out of birch or elder saplings. These are often blown to celebrate Advent and Christ’s birth.
24. When It's Over
Dutch families typically take down their beautiful holiday decorations on January 6th with the Feast of the Epiphany.
25. Other Places that Celebrate Christmas Like the Dutch
Beyond the Netherlands, Sinterklaas is also celebrated in Dutch territories like Aruba.
From Sinterklaas to unique treats, the years I lived in the Netherlands taught me that their holiday season is truly like no other.
Have You Celebrated Christmas in the Netherlands?
Does your family honor one of these Dutch traditions? What’s your favorite part of the holidays? Share your experiences in the comments section below!
Looking for more information to plan your vacation to the Netherlands?Check out my additional recommendations to help youplan your trip to the Netherlandsincluding what to see and do in the Netherlands, the best places to stay in the Netherlands, where to eat in the Netherlands, and more!
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