Expat's World Blog Surf Day entry: Holidays and celebrations.

Before I start, I must share some links with you. The next blogger taking part is Mub.
 
Also, Karen at Empty Nest Expat is Twitter-ing about this event today.

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I thought that I would probably talk about Sinterklaas for my World Blog Surf Day entry as it is a holiday I really do enjoy. It's definitely a favourite. The more I thought about it, I realised that what I like most is seeing how the Dutch celebrate birthdays and the birth of a baby. I guess it's one of the few times I get to be around Dutch people and learn more about their culture. Most of the things I learn about the Dutch, I glean from books or other blogs.

There were so many things I could talk about in relation to this topic but wanted to keep this post as succinct as possible.


C = Circle


When you go to a birthday gathering, you'll most likely be asked to take a seat in the birthday circle. The birthday boy or gal will have arranged the exact number of chairs in a circle around the coffee table. The birthday circle is not limited to birthdays. If a few people are invited to someone's house for a celebration, you'll probably always sit in a circle. When you sit down, you are not expected to move from your seat until its time to leave (or visit the bathroom.)

E = Eating

As soon as you sit down in the birthday circle, the first thing you'll be offered is a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of birthday cake. Usually there are two types of cake on offer. After the cake has been scoffed and you've finished your drink, more food appears. Cubes of cheese, slices of sausage and crackers with various toppings are popular. You don't leave the circle to get food. The birthday person will walk around the circle and you grab a piece of food from the plate. A short while later the same thing happens. A short while after that, the plate is passed around again. Once the mini pieces of food have been devoured, crisps and nuts usually appear.

L = Liedje

Liedje is a song. Here is a clip of Nick and Simon singing "Happy birthday" in Dutch.



E = E-mail

A birthday person invites people to their home for their birthday and they'll usually send out an invitation by e-mail. The birthday person will give a start - and sometimes end - time for the party. You are expected to arrive on time for the start of the party. Usually the invitation is limited to family but sometimes a few friends or neighbours may be invited. Most invites requesting that you reply by a certain date. We got an invitation this week that asked us to reply by 8:50am on Sunday morning. This was a serious request. Very precise!

B = Banners

It is easy to tell when a new baby has arrived because people decorate their houses to announce the occasion. You may only see a blue or pink flag hanging infront of the house but a simple, understated display like that is pretty rare. Some popular decorations are storks, a large wooden baby or animal (usually with the baby's name printed on it) or even a giant inflatable baby. Banners and/or balloons hanging in the front windows and in the garden saying "Hoera, it's a boy/girl!" are popular. These can stay up for quite some time. Our next door neighbours erected a washing line in their front garden and hung blue baby clothes from it. Above it they had perched a large banner with the name of their son. It stayed there for months.

R = Rusks
 
A beschuit is usually translated into English as rusk. In the UK they are called something else as I always associate a rusk with the baby biscuits. I've looked online but can't find a definite answer. When you go to visit new parents, you will be offered a beschuit met muisjes. Muisjes [little mice!] are small, hard aniseed-flavoured balls. They are sprinkled on a beschuit with butter. Most people say that they are heel erg lekker which means that they think they are very tasty indeed.
 
A = Announcement

New parents post a birth announcement card [Geboortekaartje] to friends and family pretty quickly after the birth of their child. This is such a normal thing to do that the postal folk also sell stamps [Geboortezegels] with storks on them. We get these cards a lot, even from my partner's work colleagues who he says he doesn't even know. He jokes that this is because people do this because they're trying to get you to fork out money. Usually the cards have information about the new baby, godparents, what times you can visit at or asking that you call the parents to arrange a visit beforehand. I've noticed that some of the cards also include the parents' bank account details so you know where you can deposit loot if you feel like it.
 
T = Table

When you visit new parents, it is common for them to use the coffee table to display all the gifts people have bought. Cards that people have sent are usually on display around the living room too.

E = Etiquette

When you greet the birthday person you congratulate them with a Gefeliciteerd and a handshake or three kisses. When you enter the living room, some people may already be perched on their seats in the birthday circle. If these people are in your family, or the family or your partner, you will say hello and take your seat. Sometimes the birthday person has invited their in-laws or a neighbours. It is very normal for these people to  walk around and shake everyone's hand and congratulate them on the birthday of your sibling or sibling-in-law! I find this the most boggling, and amusing, thing about Dutch birthdays and never know how to react in this situation.