Holidays, festivals, and special occasions

The Netherlands has several official public holidays scattered throughout the year. The most popular include: New Year’s Day (Nieuwjaarsdag), Easter (Pasen), King’s Day (Koningsdag), Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag), and Christmas (Kerst).
King’s Day on the 27th of April is a huge national holiday, celebrating the birthday of the Dutch king, King Willem-Alexander. The whole country dresses in the national colour - orange. This holiday used to be Queen’s Day until King Willem-Alexander ascended the throne.
On Liberation Day, celebrated on the 5th of May every year, the Dutch commemorate the end of the Second World War and celebrate freedom. There are several festivals and concerts throughout the country, including the famous concert on the Amstel river in Amsterdam.

The Netherlands is famous for its various cultural festivals throughout the year. A popular one is Carnival, celebrated mainly in the southern part of the country, with parades and parties.
Sinterklaas is a key holiday tradition, celebrated on the 5th of December. The main character, Sinterklaas, is based on Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. This holiday involves gift-giving and sweets, such as kruidnoten and taai-taai.
Koningsdag, besides being a public holiday, is also the biggest national street festival in the Netherlands. Flea markets, parties and concerts are held throughout the country. Every Dutchie dresses in orange or red, white, and blue in honour of the Dutch royal family.
At the end of November or beginning of December, the arrival of Sinterklaas is a highly-anticipated event for Dutch children. His arrival from Spain is broadcasted on national television.

The Dutch are known for their unique traditions and customs. One such custom is the “Vrijmarkt” (Free Market) held on King’s Day. It’s a nationwide market for people to sell their second-hand things.
During Oud and Nieuw (Old and New, referring to New Year’s Eve), the Dutch have a tradition of watching a comedic year-in-review on television, eating oliebollen and appelflappen, and making a lot of noise at midnight to scare off the spirits of the old year.
For Christmas, the Dutch mainly celebrate on the evening of the 24th (Kerstavond) with a special dinner. The 25th and 26th (Eerste and Tweede Kerstdag, first and second Christmas day) are public holidays. While Santa Claus is not traditionally a part of Dutch culture, the American version of Santa Claus (Kerstman) has become more popular in recent years.

Understanding these cultural aspects of Dutch holidays and festivals would help in gaining deeper insights into Dutch language and society.