Here I leave you a brief summary of the traditions of the Netherlands. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when doing it.

1. Traditions of Netherlands

2. Sinterklaas ( Santa Claus)
 One traditional festivity in the Netherlands is the feast of Sinterklaas. It is celebrated on the evening before
Sinterklaas’ birthday on December 5, especially in families with little children. It often involves the custom of
surprises; gifts wrapped in an original way, customized to the receiver and accompanied by a poem, hinting at
what the present is
 The festivities traditionally begin each year in mid-November (the first Saturday after 11 November), when
Sinterklaas "arrives" by a steamboat at a designated seaside town, supposedly from Spain.
 He is said to ride his white-grey horse over the rooftops at night, delivering gifts through the chimney to the
well-behaved children. Traditionally, naughty children risked being caught by Black Pete, who carried a jute bag to
take them with sinterklaas to Spain to teach them good behavior and take them back next Christmas.

4. Christmas
 Among the Dutch, Christmas (which lasts two days) is a time of togetherness. Gifts are
generally not exchanged. Usually it is celebrated with ones direct, and not extended, family. It’s
celebrated on December 25 and 26. There are several activities being organized in Enschede
during the Christmas holidays.

5. New Year
 The first day of the year is called ‘Nieuwjaarsdag’, or New Years Day and is also a public holiday and
most people will have the day off. The day before is called ‘Oudejaarsdag’ (Old Years Day) and is
usually celebrated with family and/or friends. On this day, traditional New Years pastries like
‘Oliebollen’ (a type of sweet dumpling) are eaten. At mid-night the Dutch wish all the best to all in
their presence and fire works are set off. Following these activities it is customary to express a good
intention for the next year.

7. Easter.
 The Dutch celebrate two days of Easter (on Sunday and the subsequent Monday). During Easter there are
various customs like the Easter Bunny, Egg Hunting and Easter Fires. Egg hunting is a game during which
decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial, filled with or made of chocolate candies, of various
sizes, are hidden in various places for children to find. Real eggs may further be used in egg tapping
contests. Like in many places in the northern and eastern parts of the Netherlands, ‘Paasvuren’ (Easter
Fires) are lit on Easter Day at sunset in and around Enschede.

8. King’s Day
 Since April 2013 the Netherlands has a king so Queen’s Day has been renamed ‘Koningsdag’
(‘King’s Day’) and is celebrated on April 27, unless this date is on a Sunday, then it’s celebrated on
the preceding Saturday. Jumble sales or free-markets are traditionally held in the streets of some
city centres. The salespeople, including children, often wear orange clothes. The King and his
family visit two places somewhere in the country. Those places organize a special program,
displaying local folklore.
 In Enschede the night before Kings Day is celebrated during ‘de Nacht van Oranje’ (the Orange
Night) with several musical performances in the city centre.

10. Liberation day.
 After the liberation in 1945, Liberation Day was commemorated every 5 years. In 1990 the day was
declared a national holiday, where the liberation is commemorated and celebrated every year on the
5th of May. Many employees have a day off work, but this is not required by law. The city of Enschede
organizes several music festivals throughout the city in celebration of Liberation Day.

11. Ascension Day, Pentecost and Good
Friday
 40 Days after Easter, Ascension Day is celebrated. A popular custom is to go ‘Dauwtrappen’ (lt. ‘kicking the dew’). This
means getting up before dawn and go for a walk or a bike tour. The biggest festival during Ascension Day in Enschede is
Green Vibrations.
 Seven weeks after Easter, two days of Pentecost are celebrated on Sunday and the subsequent Monday.
 Even though Good Friday is a National Holiday, it is not a mandatory day off for commercial companies

12. Carbid schiethen
 It is celebrated on the New Year’s Eve. People shoot Fireworks from a big
butter churner to celebrate the New year because It is the only day you
can make loud sound.

13. The fiftieth birthday.
 In Holland the fiftieth is celebrated by putting big decorations and a big
balloons representing the birthday person.

14. And it is the same with the birth of a
baby.

15. Wooden Shoes
 People from all over the world still think that the Dutch wear clogs or wooden shoes every day. If
you’re one of those people, we’re sorry to disappoint you. Contrary to popular belief, most Dutch
people don’t wear clogs anymore. The only group of people that still wear them are rural work
 Today most clogs are sold to tourists from all over the world that want to bring home a typically
Dutch souvenir.

16. Delft Blue
 Delft Blue is the world-famous earthenware that has been produced in
the city of Delft since the 17th century.
 Between 1600 and 1800, this earthenware was popular among rich
families who would show off their Delft Blue collections to one another.

17. The windmills
 Historically, windmills in Holland served many purposes. The most important probably was
pumping water out of the lowlands and back into the rivers beyond the dikes so that the land
could be farmed. In the fourteenth century, hollow-post mills were used to drive scoop wheels
to drain the wetlands.

18. cheese
 Dutch cheese production is currently in the hands of dairy factories, which produce and export hundreds of
millions of tons of cheese every year.
 The Dutch still love cheese and eat about seven pounds of it annually per person. Just like Julius Caesar, let
yourself be surprised about the many types of Dutch cheeses and sample the country's "yellow gold".

19. Tulips.
 The striking colors of the flowering tulip bulbs are a typical sight in Holland during the spring. The
bright red, pink and yellow colors are overwhelmingly beautiful and are a must see, or should we
say, a must experience!

20. Bicycles.
 People living in Netherland use the bicycle not because they are big biking
fans, it’s a good way to go through the city and visit the markets, go to the
school and the job.

21. Traditional clothes.

23.  http://www.holland.com/global/tourism/interests/traditional.htm
 http://cityofenschede.com/es/sobre-enschede/vida/cultura-
holandesa/festividades-tradiciones/
 http://www.holanda.com.co/Fiestas.html
 http://www.holanda.com.co/Fiestas.html