Dutch Christmas, explained
Are you an international student who is exploring Dutch culture? Would you like to know how Dutch people celebrate Christmas? Let me tell you about that.
What does Dutch Christmas look like?
Christmas is a special holiday in many European countries and Netherlands is not an exception. Christmas celebration in the Netherlands consists of two days, 25th and 26th of December, so people can enjoy two festive dinners and celebrate this holiday with every family member. However, Christmas Eve, 24th of December, is not celebrated in the Netherlands.
Most of Dutch people spend Christmas with their families at home. Also, since it is a religious holiday some people go to the church on that day besides other celebrations.
What about Christmas dinners?
On Christmas day and on the second Christmas day dinners with families are most important parts of the celebration for Dutch people. Everyone is gathering at the table to have fun and spend nice time together. For some families Christmas means fancy dinner with various dishes and served table, for others it is about cooking together. One special tradition which some of Dutch families do on this day is called gourmet. It is a way of food preparation of chopped into small slices meat, vegetables and other food on the machine which is similar to grill. Everyone fries their own food on this machine and enjoys the atmosphere of being together. The meaning behind this tradition is everyone participating in food preparation, not only one person.
Which presents do Dutch people give on Christmas?
In many countries Christmas is also a special day for giving and receiving presents. In the Netherlands most of the presents for children and adults are given on Sinterklaas (or Saint Nicholas) day, which is celebrated on the 5th of December. On the Christmas day, however, small presents such as socks, mugs or sweets can be given. In that way people show their care about each other and make these day even more special.
Also, many companies gift Christmas packages to their employees to thank for the productive work and commitment during the whole year. These packages usually include food, alcoholic drinks, small electronics or vouchers for different experiences.
What you can do for this holiday in the Netherlands?
At the Christmas time there are many things which you can do and visit in different cities of the Netherlands. You can find Christmas markets with different kinds of street food, hot wine and hot chocolate in almost every Dutch city. In big cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht or The Hague you can also visit winter theme parks where you can find huge slides, ice skating rings, stages for shows and music performances. One of the most famous ice skating rings in located in from of Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Also, you can try to become Dutch for one Christmas and invite your friends for a dinner with gourmet to celebrate it together. It is also a nice time to play board games, watch Christmas movies such as “Home alone” and enjoy presence of each other.
If you are staying in the Netherlands for Christmas and New Year, check out our Instagram page. There you can find tips for staycation in Apeldoorn, Deventer and Enschede.
In the meantime, I would like to wish Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!