Spring customs in the Netherlands - The MOST DUTCH things | American in the Netherlands

There is a lot to look forward to in the spring in the Netherlands! Starting April, there are a lot of Dutch customs and holidays to enjoy. Due to covid, this is really the first spring I've been able to properly enjoy, so I wanted to share some of those experience of life in the Netherlands as an American with you!
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I like to share my experiences of an American expat in the Netherlands. I describe both the unique and everyday aspects of Dutch culture, and life in Holland while enjoying every bit of it!
Blog website: www.dutchamericano.com
Instagram: DutchAmericano
Get in touch: [e-mail]
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[@tonnycroezen85]

Hi Ava, Actually Good Friday is not a national holiday. Many companies consider it a normal working day.

[@mikepictor]

Mine definitely only gave Monday off. I worked Friday

[@paulthiel5145]

​@@mikepictor same here for years on end 😂

[@ChrisEchoes]

Yep, unless you work in the banking sector because traditionally they have a day off on Good Friday.

[@transient_]

Mine did give that day off. It's an American employer and we were convinced they started doing that because they thought it was a national holiday. 😁

[@Rob2]

@@ChrisEchoes True, in banking it is more of a tradition than in other branches. Also, in the past in the "zuilen systeem" there were companies that were considered "Catholic" and there you would have a day off, and not in other companies. Where I work it used to be a day off, but it has more or less been traded for having a day off on bevrijdingsdag (May 5th), also not an official holiday every year (only every 5 years).

[@daanvandoesum3679]

Oerol is such a vibe especially if the weather is as perfect as today. Cycling around the island going from one act to the next is such a cool and quintessential dutch thing to experience. Defintely the most unique festival i have experienced.

[@ciscawieman4241]

In the past, before King Willem-Alexander became King, it was Queen’s Day on April 30. It was actually the birthday of his grandmother, former Queen Juliana; she abdicated in 1980.Then his mother Beatrix, became Queen and decided, to celebrate her birthday also on April 30. ( honouring her mother and avoiding this way the weather on her real birthday, which is January 31) She made even more changes, such as the way her birthday would be celebrated. Her mother got a parade in front of the steps of the palace, by the people of the Netherlands, but she wanted to visit a different city in the country every year, taking her entire family with her. Then there is the phenomenon of the flea market, which real name is “kleedjesmarkt” ( rug) you don’t have a stall, but just a rug on the pavement. That’s too cold in January and so she decided to continue celebrating her birthday on the last day of April. That ended when he took the throne and that’s why we’re celebrating his birthday on April 27 ever since.

[@jeanpierreviergever1417]

A gardening tradition is also ‘IJsheiligen’ or the Ice saints, which are three days mid May. Legend has it that there is no frost after those days so you can safely put the plants outside that are vulnerable to frost. Global warming had put the last frost day earlier, say late April. But it is a readon many people plant their annual plants late April to mid May.

[@r.a.h7682]

The netherlands has one of the least amount of holidays in Europe.

[@ThW5]

Yes, so very nice for people who want to move from les EU to the EU, the culture shock is not THAT bad....

[@Random.ChanneI]

But US citizen usually don’t use all there paid holidays. We surely do.

[@ThW5]

@@Random.ChanneI Yes, but only because the companies FORCE you to...

[@Random.ChanneI]

@@ThW5 Yes but that’s only for the minimum 20 days of paid holidays everyone gets here..

[@ThW5]

And? You need more?

[@balaenopteramusculus]

Yes, you are absolutely right: it is about the thrill, both for the buyer and the seller. Bargaining is fun, especially when the stakes are low, haha. EDIT: Oerol is fantastic! You will love it. Even with camping. 😂

[@Snaakie83]

It's fairly alternative... certainly not for anyone. Not that it's bad, but it's certainly a different mindset.

[@dutchuncle3310]

AVA You mentioned festivals and used the words culture shock, If you really want to experience the ultimate festival experience and are ready to immerse yourself in what for you will be a mind-blowing experience go to this years Zwarte Cross . It’s a festival centred around motorcyvcle races, even if you aren’t interested at all in the sport it’s pretty spectacular. Add to that the music podiums and the general carnival atmosphere you will absolute love or hate it. Best experienced wit a group of friends.

[@user-ue7vd1cw6w]

On Kings day you have the fleemarket. At first meant for children to earn a little money. Nowerdays it has evolved into an all nationwide fleemarket; not even meant to earn a lot of money, but to get rid of your old things. So that is why the 'salesmen/women/children' agree with al lower price.

[@PyrusFlameborn]

I love making a last round at the end of the day. So much stuff being given away for free just so they don't have to take it back home

[@leidenlocal]

You are so right about the may holiday. Never realised that

[@honestr]

I just like to call 2nd easter day, national Ikea day. Because they started this whole tradition of shopping for household stuff.

[@SandsOfArrakis]

I, as a Dutch, never understood the reasoning behind this. As if half the Netherlands has to go furniture shopping on 2nd Easter Day. /facedesk

[@koolade76]

dank je wel, voor de tips, *writes in calendar f’ing avoid Ikea at Easter

[@piepkwiep4312]

I bought a ladle that was 25 cents and managed to get the price down to zero. It was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life.

[@ProsciuttinoXL]

Hi Ava, I notice that you say "my wife" without any hesitation now. That's very satisfying for me, M69, because I got married recently after living for 42 years with my life's companion. And -me being far older than you- are still somewhat uncomfortable about calling him my husband (mijn man). But it's getting more natural. I subscribed to your channel when you were still living in Amsterdam because I like to hear from people with a different perspective about my home country, plus I enjoy everything pertaining to languages and different cultures. Now you've moved to Utrecht, the city where I was born, grew up and worked in the city centre for a total of fourty years, its even more of a joy to see your videos.

[@gerritvalkering1068]

Think of King's Day as a country wide garage sale I've worked at Oerol as volunteer a couple of years back. It's a great experience, so enjoy. I'm sure the weather will be fine for camping too! (fingers crossed)

[@DenUitvreter]

When I was a student we were still allowed to sell food at the vrijmarkt and some serious money could be made. But still it was about the fun of coming up with a good idea and doing the logistics too. A few laters Queen's Night got a bit late and me and my friends bought a guy's entire blanket with old stuff and started selling, still slightly under the influence, just for the fun of making deals. When we broke even around 11 in the morning, we let the neighbours sell what was left. I was a civil servant back then, but I'm Dutch, there is a trader in me too and that has to be let out every now and then.

[@D0NL]

@Dutch Americano Hey girl, I loved watching this a lot! Your content is absolutely 🔥🔥

[@sanderdeboer6034]

Oerol is great, I have been going since 2010. If you have a clamping tent you will be fine. And Terschelling is in my opinion the most beautiful wadden eiland of them all. Considering my grandfather came from Ameland that is saying something. (He probably would not have liked me saying that) West Terschelling feels like a small city, with its Brandaris (oldest lighthouse in the Netherlands) in the middle. Eddie Izzard even performed on that square next to the lighthouse in the very early stage of his career! If you like the vibe of Oerol, than I highly advise a visit to THE FESTIVAL in Edinburgh. Especially the Fringe is a great period to visit, with comedy as the main focus. Have fun!

[@kirsten9323]

Oerol is so much fun! Keep in mind: if you really want to see a certain show during the weekenddays, book in advance or be prepared that it might be full. During the week its no problem. And bring something that helps you to recognize your rental bike after you park it somewhere😅

[@Hrn250]

When my children were still at school, we went mostly on vacation during the school holiday.s. A cottage in France during the May holiday, a cottage in the woods in the winter and often to Italy in the summer. you can make it as cheap or expensive as you want. We as a family really enjoyed these holidays and you could also recharge your battery .After all, you work to live (nicely) and you don't live to work ☺️

[@remcohoman1011]

Groningen... Noorderzon, Rapalje festivals are awesome!!

[@Jahee-Official]

Kingsday (previously queensday) is my favorite holiday, because of the flea market. Unless the prices are REALLY reasonable, I won't negotiate. But even if it's already cheap, I will negotiate. For me, it's the social interaction. Hitting up a random conversation. And both being happy with the deal. IMO, it's all part of the game. And if a price is already cheap but the seller doesn't want to play the game, I'll keep on walking. One time, I was with an ex GF to a flea market. Ex GF asked for the price of an item, got the (fair) price, and she said: deal! I stepped in, and said: no no no! You didn't negotiate! That's not how flea markets work! We all had a big laugh (including the seller), and the seller gave her a 50% discount on the original asking price. Sellers also really enjoy the game, and it's not AS much about making money from your old junk.

[@Nynke_K]

I hope you have great weather at Oerol!

[@Rob2]

Well, Easter as a start point for spring is of course a litte complicated, as the date of Easter varies per year, it can be quite early (at the start of actual spring) or up to a month later. That also affects the sequence of the later holidays that partly are on a fixed date.

[@RobbertMichel]

The flea markets on king's day are because originally you didn't have to pay taxes on sales on king's day. This was finished already in the 19th century as people started to sell houses on that day and saved the sale of luxury goods till that day, but the flea market as tradition was stuck by that time.

[@dudie5403]

Over here on Kingsday there are small fleamarkets but they are usually for children. My city has a big fleamarket in May or June depending on Pinksteren (pentecost) so we had one last weekend. And it's from saturday evening till sunday 17:00. So we go to the fleamarket at night with our flashlights in case there is no light at the stands. It's so fun. So on Kingsday we go like nah I don't go to the kids fleamarket, I wait for the other one. And about wanting a bargain. To me that doesn't really mean I find things to expensive but more because it's something you do and also for fun. I remember when I was still a child I saw the most awesome plush toy which costed 50 cents so I was ready to give the 50 cents... then the seller said "no, no little girl you need to bargain!" ended up paying 10 cents or something. And some other seller saw me looking at something and suddenly was like take it, you can have it for free! Well ok.

[@elsiengale3125]

Easter, mid-April, Intertuin: This is the time that all my bulbs have finished, the weather is getting better and it's a good time to re-stock my garden. As I don't seem to have green fingers, a lot of my plants from last year have died ... I am Dutch, haven't lived there for years, bit I used to LOVE bargaining in Asia, Turkey or North Africa ... Just for the fun of it!

[@DutchAmericano]

Haha, it's funny, I'm really quite the opposite where I dislike bargaining. I wish you luck on your plants this year!

[@WietskeVos]

For the elite part of the Netherlands: they go listen to Bachs Matthaus Passion on Good Friday. A very fixed tradition.

[@tomdehaan9640]

The reason why I go to the Intratuin, is because the sun/spring/summer is coming. And during easter it's the time to make your garden beautiful again. So buy seeds/plants/flowers. Dispose of weeds in the garden, upgrade your garden chairs/table etc. So that when the sun is there, your are ready to enjoy it's warmth and load your internal batteries with sun power, and your shin with natural vitamine b.

[@wartoga4248]

May vacation used to be easter holidays. The travelling at this time only came up when prices for flying to warmer destinations went down ... Most dutch people I know never visit festivals or a museum, by the way.

[@remcohoman1011]

8:41 you forget 'Skirts day" On the first good sunny day of the year the Dutch women and girls wear a skirt to school, work or wherever..

[@ArjenHaayman]

oooh, Oerol! Niiice

[@jandejong1122]

Enjoy your camping days in Udel 😃

[@edwardbrosens]

Have fun camping!

[@AnnaDelahay]

de Mei vakantie bevat 3 hoogte punten: koningsdag 27/4, vroeger was het op 30 april Koninginnedag en nr 2: 4 mei einde van de 2de wereld oorlog en herinnering aan al de slachtoffers. nr3: Bevrijdingsdag, het vieren van vrijheid. Toen en nu.

[@renekuipers4563]

You look happy Welcome.

[@renekuipers4563]

Iam happy for you..welcom .Eva.

[@Viper-ut4oz]

Flee markets are actually about re-using stuff. Buying new stuff and get rid of old things makes more garbage. We are not cheap, we are basically an eco friendly country on Kings Day.😉😅

[@jeffafa3096]

We might have more days off than people in the US, but when it comes to national holidays, we are at the bottom of Europe. We have about 7, whereas countries like Finland have 15... Having at least 20 days off each year (not including national holidays) is a EU-mandatory rule btw.

[@rulifaller8474]

Two important idioms for the weather in the spring: Maart roert z’n staart and April doet wat ie wil, both reflecting the fact that weatherwise anything can happen in these month. It can be painfully grey and rainy like this year, but it can also be very sunny, or either of the two happens during the month, week or day. The spring was actually 100% sunny in 2020 (the only blessing offhand first COVID year because you could go for a sunny walk every day), terrible in 2021, very nice in 2022 and terrible again this year.

[@RogierYou]

Great haircut

[@Hrn250]

It is indeed not an art to pay the full price for something, it is the art of getting something off the price. I have often succeeded and that gives great satisfaction.

[@ariebhjd]

Leuk dat je een paar verschillende achtergronden gebruikt. Misschien was het maken van deze video nog te vroeg maar wat ook een kans op een lang weekend is , is hemelvaartsdag. Mensen zijn vaak vrij op die donderdag en nemen dan de vrijdag vrij om 4 dagen achter elkaar weg te gaan. Vaak mensen met een caravan.. het weekend erna is pinksteren en je bent helemaal een “ spekkoper” ( zoek maar op 😊) als je de dagen ertussen ook nog vrij kunt nemen. 6 dagen vrij nemen voor 12 dagen achter elkaar vrij. En het weer is vaak prima in die tijd.

[@Saartje05]

How big of a deal is the holiday (May, Summer vacation, whatever..). My dad always said his work was a nasty interruption of his vacation. That's how important it was, lol. We were lucky, we always went on a vacation. Six or seven weeks in a row in summer even. Traveled all over Europe.

[@HenkJanBakker]

You get an Amsterdam accent. "Mai-vukansie". So cute.

[@argenieuwenhuijzen2557]

If I remember correctly the tradition of vrijmarkten started when Beatrix, Alexander’s mother celebrated her first ‘birthday’ as a queen (it was in fact her mother’s, Juliana’s, birthday as Beatrix birthday is on 31 January, which is in the winter and that date is associated with the flood of 1953). As far as I know it wasn’t as big a thing before that.

[@arnehaverschmidt]

Kissed her❤(Beatrix not Ava)

[@jannetteberends8730]

When Juliana was queen we watched the defilé on tv, or went to Soestdijk. And in the afternoon there was something organised by the oranjevereniging for children. And the lampionnenoptocht the evening of 29 April. The flee markets started around the time Beatrix became queen, organised by elementary schools and cultural centres, also for children. At that time the oranjevereningen were less active. They weren’t that popular anymore and had trouble finding volunteers and money.

[@witte2565]

Hey eva i saw you in hilversum 😊

[@pluut9722]

easter it can be -12 or +20 celcius, we also have no idea why we go shopping 😆

[@eddys.3524]

Hi Ava! Thanks for the video... What's more Dutch than having a rant while drinking a nice cup of Coffee?? You definitely have become a Dutchie.. You have been assimilated.

[@ThW5]

Having a rant while drinking a pintje at the bar, and woe those confusing a pintje with a British pint (it is more like a half pint).

[@nerysvanbeurden8434]

This may holiday we went to Phantasialand in Germany for a day and the amount of Dutch people there was huge! You could hear dutch everywhere! Hemelvaart, Pinksteren, Bevrijdingsdag, May has a lot of holidays. The rest of the year looks empty in comparison haha.

[@r.a.h7682]

You can hear german in 1940 and today in Zeeland every year.

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

When I was at a market with a friend, he wanted to buy an item, and the salesman said €2.50, so my friend said 50 cent, and he got it for €0.50. I thought it was kind of bold to bid 1/5 of the asking price, but it worked.

[@LRijt]

As far as festivals go, make sure to come to ‘Jazz in Duketown’ next year. Big Dutchie bonus: it is completely free😁(donations appreciated)

[@gerrygrouwe70]

Ava i think that you forgot that us dutch get our vakantiegeld around may 23 so that we have some extra money to spent for going on holydays during the year

[@jurrienrelker]

Luckily a lot of Dutch people will pay a child 1 Euro instead of the 20 cents asking price. Not all Dutch are stingy. There are also a lot of generous Dutch people.

[@PyrusFlameborn]

Jup, don't negotiate with a child. Show no mercy to the adults😂

[@c128stuff]

Traditionally, the 2nd day of easter was the day to go buy things for your house, like furniture, or indeed garden stuff.

[@mereyemsuzanne8635]

Yes de woon boulevard !!! 💯 %

[@EJannings]

Traditionally? As far as I can recall everything was always closed on the second day of easter. According to the wikipedia woonboulevards and supermarkets started to open on that day at the end of the 20th century. But can one call a custom, that's only 30(or something) years old, already a tradition? Probably. But imo it gives a bit of a misinforming impression to foreigners, to call recent trends "traditions that were.. "

[@c128stuff]

@@EJannings First I did not suggest 'traditions that were'. Second, some of the large stores at the woonboulevards were open on the second day of easter way before supermarkets were legally allowed to be open on that day, and 3rd, the history of this is much older, and related to the 'spring cleaning' and after that (somewhat) refurbishing of house and garden. Furniture shops, garden centers, supermarkets etc being generally open at the 2nd day of easter indeed goes back to the late 20th century. So one could argue it is the commercialized remains of an older tradition.

[@EJannings]

@@c128stuff You literally wrote: "Traditionally, the 2nd day of easter was..", so you absolutely called it a tradition and you used the past tense. And the rest is even more nonsense. Spring cleaning never happened on the second day of easter. It's not related at all.

[@c128stuff]

​@@EJannings Originally it was just that, it expanded to something much broader now, but the tradition still exists and furniture shopping on 2nd day of easter is still quite a thing. Nowhere does that imply the tradition is just something from the past which no longer exists. Nor was it in any way suggesting something got 'lost'. It merely pointed at the origins of this.

[@Dutch1961]

Kingsday is the only day of the year where you don't need a municipal permit to publicly sell things. I like going on vacations. This year I'm having four three day short vacations, two in the Netherlands and two in Belgium and two eight day vacations in Cyprus. Those three day vacations don't require me to take time off from work because I only work four days a week (never on fridays). As an elderly employee I have a very benificial arrangement where it costs me only 5 percent of my gross monthly salary to reduce my working hours from 38 to 32 hours a week.

[@gordonwallin2368]

Also, I've friends who are Chinese, and Indian (South East Asian) and Dutch, and it's a tie for who's the cheapest.

[@casek1238]

On Kingsday you are allowed to sell old stuff from the attick, bevearages, or make music in the street without a license. I once saw someone in Amsterdam, who had painted his dog orange, and put a sign next to it. pet/caress an orange-coloured-dog: 50 cents!

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

I dearly hope nobody did actually "stroke" that dog, would be painfull ;-) You "pet" a dog

[@casek1238]

@@JustMe-sh8nd oké "aai aaien"

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

@@casek1238 😘

[@dudie5403]

I saw that last weekend too at a fleamarket. a cute dog with such a sign. I wonder how many people actually did cuddle or pet it for 50 cents.

[@christelvanesterik]

Imagine the stress in April 2020 about whether or not you could go on holidays in the meivakantie…😅

[@JanStuivenberg2810]

I'm surprised you did'nt mention Liberation Day on may the 5th.

[@arnehaverschmidt]

What's a plant, dear Ava🌱it's almost summer btw

[@helenehuydecooper3534]

I wish, most people only have the one day of at Easter.

[@JiIIe]

I was so expecting you to say “It’s a euro, my friend” in an Indian accent

[@Efti-lz4nl]

Sad you didn't mention Carnaval, but I guess that's more a below the rivers thing, so you probably wouldn't even know about it…

[@TheEvertw]

I thought you were going to talk about "Rokjesdag".

[@rpfs2691]

Hi Ana, maybe it's time for you to acquire Dutch nationally? As spouse of a Dutch national, you can opt in to Dutch nationally

[@DenUitvreter]

Most holidays seem mainly seasonal. Many were pagan holidays before and I don't believe pentacost would be such a thing if it wasn't at a time of year everybody is in need of some sun. Another factor might be the giving and taking between protestants and catholics. Allthough peaceful and tolerant, the Netherlands has had quite a complicated history with religions that had to be managed.

[@r.a.h7682]

The schiphol situation was because of corona, they had less people working during corona and after everything was lifted they still had the same amount of people working as during corona. You make it sound like the whole country goes to schiphol and they couldnt handle it. Before corona these problems obviously werent there.

[@jjbankert]

Bargaining is about the principle of it, not the price 😅 How can we feel like we got a good deal if we didn't get a discount?

[@DutchAmericano]

Haha, fair point! 😆

[@BommeltjeNL]

I almost always pay the price they ask, but if I really think "hmm. that's too much", then the games begin. Go extra low and you'll end up below what you wanted to give for it haha. It's just a national sport over here haha 😂

[@Roggen45]

😂😂I can tell you everything i buy like furniture, electric appliances, electronics, clothes i never pay full price, and yes they are bought in ( big ) stores, even then i refuse to pay full price.😉 So maybe you are right😂😂

[@jimmymiata]

I would compare it with a garage sale

[@Bosdavid]

Hi Eva, Perhaps it would be good to point out that not everyone is having a meivakantie (may holiday) all by itself. Actually, I think it is mainly the kids and teachers and perhaps some other citizens working in public services, but most of the people don't have that holiday. Unless they use a week (or two) of their holiday-days (of which we have about five weeks of) for it, for instance because they have kids who are free and have to be taken care of, as well as they want to spend time with them. But it's not like all people working in stores, on public transportation, trash removal services, attorneys, judges, social workers, people working in health care like homes for elderly and disabled people as well as hospitals, people working in power plants, journalists, on airports (hey! ;)), people working in theatres and cinema's, in the horeca and so on and so on… Thus: some people are having a (proper) meivakantie, but most people don't, or at least just have to use their standard holidays for the whole year for it. Or at least that's my idea or observation around the situation. ;) Also, a point that might have been worthwhile to have mentioned around the Schiphol debacle last year, it that apart from a lot of people going on holiday to a foreign country in may, is that it is not that common around all the Dutch people; as mentioned above, most actually don't have a holiday then and most of them probably spend it within The Netherlands or even at home. But also, there was (is?) an enormous shortage of staff at the airport, combined with a big urge for people to go away abroad after it had been im- or less possible in the two years prior, due to the covid-19 pandemic. So there certainly were problems at Schiphol, with enormous amounts of people waiting in queues, but it was not specifically because so many Dutch people always take a holiday abroad in the first (two) week(s) of may. And oeh, Oerol! I've been there multiple times, as a visitor as well as a volunteer, which was perhaps even more fun. I hoped (and a kind of still hope) to visit it this year again, after a six (and in a certain way eight) year gap. Enjoy! And say hi to Tim and Mirthe in case you bump into them -they are playing in/working on the play Herinner Ons. 😉

[@vogel2280]

50 days off?!? I don't know were you work, but on job with a regular company it is 22 to 25 days off.

[@Bosdavid]

@@vogel2280 Well, I guess you are right and my mind was probably aiming for bed already, so it forgot to double-check its thoughts with itself. 😅 I changed the amount to five weeks.

[@kasper2970]

@@vogel2280 don’t forget the adv days I have 12 and 25 paid leave that’s 37. The ad on is 2e paasdag, Koningsdag, Hemelvaartsdag, 2e pinksterdag that’s 41 if you are lucky nieuwjaarsdag en kerst on work days that’s 44. Al lot of companies give you 3 to 5 days if you are not sick in a year and my employer gives me 16 hours for doctor visits so 50 is pretty close😀

[@vogel2280]

@@Bosdavid That can happen to the best of us.

[@vogel2280]

@@kasper2970 Wow, what CAO is that? I have worked for several companies, but never worked for a company that still has ADV. I honestly though that those were put to bed in the 90's. I have 25 days of which 3 are mandatory (Easter, Ascen6tionday, Pentecost....the ones that always are inside the workweek) Additional, I indeed forgot about Newyears day, Kingsday, Christmas (holidays that sometimes in the weekend, sometimes during the workweek) So potentially I can get to 29!

[@lowie267]

Hello are your going to pink pop its and very nice and wonderful pretty days ps your are great and lovely Chanel 👍💯

[@mavadelo]

4:45 but... but the book... it had wrinkles and smudges.... 50 cents is way to much... ok... 30 cents.. deal? Personally I never went on may vacay, we always went with summer vacation. You might not (yet) have heard of this but a typical Dutch thing is "Rokjes dag" (skirts day). The first nice day after winter when many if not most of the ladies will start wearing their skirts again.

[@BrazenNL]

"Free from school"! Holy cow, are you starting to think in Dutch, having to translate to English for the video?

[@DutchAmericano]

Haha, don't know about Dutch, but apparently I've started thinking in Dunglish for sure.

[@jjbankert]

One of us! By the way, I'm so happy chatgpt has no issues understanding dunglish. Means I can just pick the words that come to mind first.

[@freakyvisser]

You honestly souhd read the books i always get my sin 1 and 2

[@damouze]

@@DutchAmericano Hmm... I'd steer clear of that word if I were you ;-).

[@dasja9966]

​@@DutchAmericano lol, do you mind if i call it englitch? Dunglish sounds......smelly.😂

[@moshemordechaivanzuiden]

The Dutch work so hard to go on holiday, which they need because they work so hard.

[@gordonwallin2368]

I've family and friends that are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and it is something you don't even care about, here in this part of Canada. I think myself and my friends have been lucky to've had such moral, accepting parents and peers, so this channel is like if my daughter mover to the Netherlands, and she's telling my about herself and wife. When I think about the US and certain other non-Eurpean countries are, I tell people not to go there. So, your videos are so well articulated and positive, I just want more of them, especially the linguistic stuff-that's fun. Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

[@gordonwallin2368]

And your humour, is so good!

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Good Friday is only a holiday for civil-servants. Before the people complain about civil-servants, please note that we involuntarily sacrificed salary for that, please?

[@jwmderooij]

Veel plezier op Oeral.

[@DutchAmericano]

Dankjewel!

[@RealConstructor]

Oerol maybe? It isn’t fun in Russia these days.

[@willemh3319]

PINKPOP💪💪💪

[@neila484]

What can we do if the kids are free from school ,while we have to work? Leave them alone?! Thats the reason we take days off in may! Not because we want to!

[@robertnijkamp2051]

you have forgotten the 4th and 5th of may .

[@willemh3319]

would like a vlog from you in hindi or urdu would be nice so my spouse and family could enjoy😱

[@mattpickering4223]

What if the box said concentrate hahah jk

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Easter is not a religious thing here, it is a Christian feast, we remember the Resurrection that day, and the Friday before Easter is Good Friday, not a feast day, but a very serious day. we remember the Crucifixion on that day.

[@Snaakie83]

And with "we" you mean? Barely over 35% of the Netherlands follow a Jewish/Christian religion and I assume not all of them will celebrate in any way. Jews will celebrate Pesach, the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. That inspired the early Christian bible writers to use the same concept for a different fantasy. What I'm saying, is that "we" the Dutch people aren't really so Christianity driven as you'll see in the southern and eastern European countries. Probably the fault/success of our collective urge for freedom of religion and separation of state and government. For most people it's just a free day.

[@picobello99]

You realize "feast" doesn't mean "feest", right?

[@wisecat.]

I don' t like festivals. As a matter of fact i do not like things what most people do like.. I Especially do not plan my vacations during the season. I do not like things what most people see as socially obligatory like 'grab a terrace'. I do not go where the masses go. I prefer to find a quiet place somewhere or take a walk through a quiet forest or something

[@albertbreetveld4872]

lol😂 HET IS LENTE dus gardening

[@willemh3319]

it is insanity kingsday

[@bebobism]

Looking at the amount of Dutch reactions in the comments , you probably can switch from doing the video in english to Nederlands. 🙃

[@Meine.Postma]

The cheap thing is so they can tell their friends how cheap they got it. If you say "nice sweater" they will tell you how cheap it was

[@transient_]

May is also the time of the year we get 'vakantiegeld' (vacation money), from our employer. It's 8% of our yearly salary, mandated by the government, intended to be spent on our vacation. You skipped 'Bevrijdingsdag', the fifth of may. Nowadays it's only a holiday once every 5 years, but still... Did you mention 'Hemelvaartsdag', the Thursday before 'Pinksteren'? Did you mention Pinksteren (Pentacost), come to think of, at all? Pinksteren is the last of the national holidays, we have to wait an eternity after that for Christmas. 😐Those Christians should have spread the holidays more evenly over the year. 😇 And, its not a holiday, but shouldn't Mothers day deserve a honorary mention? 😉

[@zonzeven]

Nice episode, but I want to correct you on one topic : the weather. At 1:53 I hear "the weather I've noticed is rarely dry". Please, stop spreading this myth, it rains only 7% of the time according to the met office, that means 93% of the time it is dry.

[@peterk3008]

Once elections were postponed because the would be at this may vacation and "nobody" would be at home.

[@FrankHeuvelman]

Don't you kids know that our generation invented hippieness? You should be glad that we, a little less young people, allow you to visit *_our_* festivals in the first place. Gnah..!

[@paul.van.santvoord1232]

America is company owned, low wages, no work life balance. developed countries know how life work balance should be.

[@MusicJunky3]

Yeah,yeah but was that SHE ?! But I thought SHE has blond hair ?!

[@Snaakie83]

Yeah we're definitely cheap... we're literally a nation who moved the earth to trade, to sell, to profit... Its the urge to look for opportunities to hustle benefits for yourself. Our merchant blood makes us opportunistic, endeavorous and yeah...a bit of a nitpicking cheapskate.

[@geertvanschaik7976]

Your age? To me (62 yrs) you look really young. But appartently that's not how you see yourself...

[@Whistler4u]

Lot of generalizing. Don't think everything you mentioned is typically Dutch.

[@Iamsanni]

True, you can tell what kind of friends she is surrounded by. Which is cool, but a lot of stuff (mayvacations, festivals) is just for the elite