Dutch holidays and their meaning for the KNM exam

The Nederlandse feestdagen (Dutch holidays) come from three sources: the Christian calendar, royal and war history, and local custom. Some are official public holidays. Others are normal working days, however big the party. Each one is a Dutch tradition with its own story. This guide explains the meaning of the main Dutch holidays in calendar order, with the traditions that go with each one. The KNM exam (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij, knowledge of Dutch society) can ask what a day means or what people do on it.

Which days give you time off is a different question. For that, read our guide to Dutch public holidays and days off. This guide is about the meaning.

Oud en Nieuw and Nieuwjaarsdag

Oudejaarsavond (New Year's Eve) is on 31 December. Families and friends eat oliebollen (deep-fried dough balls with powdered sugar) and appelflappen (apple turnovers). At midnight people wish each other Gelukkig nieuwjaar!

Nieuwjaarsdag (New Year's Day) on 1 January is an official public holiday. Many people take part in a nieuwjaarsduik (New Year's dive), a quick swim in the cold sea.

Carnaval

Carnaval is a celebration before Lent, the Christian period before Easter. It has roots in the Roman Catholic church and takes place in February or March, mainly in Noord-Brabant and Limburg. People dress up and join parades. It is not a public holiday.

Pasen

Pasen (Easter) is the most important Christian feast. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Witte Donderdag (Maundy Thursday) Christians remember the last supper, and on Goede Vrijdag (Good Friday) his death. Goede Vrijdag is on the government's list of holidays, but most people work. The Eerste en Tweede Paasdag (Easter Sunday and Easter Monday) are the public holidays.

Many Dutch people celebrate Pasen with a family paasontbijt (Easter breakfast), a search for painted paaseieren (Easter eggs) and the paashaas (Easter bunny).

The date changes every year. If you want to know how Easter sets the dates of Ascension Day and Pentecost, read our guide to Hemelvaart and Pinksteren.

Koningsdag

Koningsdag (King's Day) on 27 April celebrates the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. People wear orange, the colour of the House of Orange-Nassau. Many towns hold a vrijmarkt (free market) for second-hand things, with rules set by the gemeente.

If 27 April is a Sunday, the day moves to Saturday 26 April. Our guide to Koningsdag and Bevrijdingsdag explains the history of the day.

4 and 5 May

On 4 May the Netherlands holds Dodenherdenking (Remembrance of the Dead). It remembers civilians and soldiers who died in war and peace missions since the Second World War began. At 20:00 the country is silent for two minutes.

On 5 May, Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day), the Netherlands celebrates the end of the German occupation in 1945. The order is deliberate: first remembering, then celebrating freedom. Many cities hold a bevrijdingsfestival with music.

Hemelvaart and Pinksteren

Hemelvaartsdag (Ascension Day) is a Christian feast on the fortieth day after Easter, counting Easter Sunday as day one. It is always a Thursday. Many people take the Friday after it off for a long weekend. Some get up early for dauwtrappen (dew treading), a walk or bike ride in the early morning.

Pinksteren (Pentecost) follows ten days later, on the fiftieth day counting Easter Sunday as day one. It remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit. Eerste en Tweede Pinksterdag are Sunday and Monday. Both Christian holidays move every year, because they depend on Easter.

Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten on 11 November is a children's feast in some regions. In the evening children walk through the streets with paper lanterns. They sing at the doors and get sweets. The feast remembers Saint Martin, who shared his coat with a beggar. It is not a public holiday.

Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas is the biggest children's feast in the Netherlands. It honours Saint Nicholas, a bishop and the patron saint of children, also called the Goedheiligman. In the story he arrives from Spain by steamboat in mid-November, in a national event called the intocht (arrival). In the weeks that follow, children put a schoen (shoe) by the door with a carrot for his horse. In the morning they find a small present or sweets.

The main evening is pakjesavond (present evening) on 5 December. Families give each other presents, often with a gedicht (poem) and a hand-made surprise. Typical sweets are pepernoten and chocolate letters. Zwarte Piet, his helper, has been debated for years. In many places the helpers now have only soot smudges on their cheeks.

Sinterklaas is not an official holiday, and 5 December is a normal working day, not a vrije dag.

Kerst

Kerst (Christmas) is a Christian feast of the birth of Jesus Christ. Eerste Kerstdag on 25 December and Tweede Kerstdag on 26 December are both public holidays. Many families put up a kerstboom (Christmas tree), eat a festive dinner and visit relatives. A popular way of eating together is gourmetten, cooking small pieces of food at the table on a small grill.

Keti Koti and Prinsjesdag

Two more days are worth knowing. Keti Koti on 1 July marks the legal abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean in 1863. In Suriname, many people had to keep working under state supervision until 1873. It is a national commemoration, not an official holiday. See the Golden Age guide for the history.

Prinsjesdag is on the third Tuesday of September. The King arrives in a horse-drawn coach and reads the Troonrede (speech from the throne) to parliament in The Hague. The government then presents its plans for the next year. It is not a public holiday.

Holidays in the KNM exam

The KNM exam has 40 questions with three answer options each. A question about Dutch holiday traditions usually asks what a day means, what people do or when it is. The table shows the pairs worth remembering.

Practise the words with our Dutch holiday vocabulary. Then try the KNM practice questions.

Bottom line

Dutch holidays mix faith, royal and war history, and local custom. Learn the meaning of each day, not only the date, and remember that a big celebration is not always a day off. Check your cao (collective labour agreement) or contract for the days you work.