Archive for 'Culture'
How Did Sinterklaas Arrive in The Netherlands During COVID? Posted by Sten on Nov 23, 2020
One of the most cherished Dutch traditions, the Sinterklaasfeest (St. Nicholas celebration) is a cultural beacon in the Netherlands. With his arrival on his stoomboot (steamboat) from Spanje (Spain) every year in November to his mysterious delivery of the pakjes (“little packages”, gifts) for the big night of opening them on pakjesavond (“little packages evening”) on December 5 to the abundance of cavity-inducing…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 16 – Sunshine! Posted by Sten on Oct 29, 2020
The last time we looked at spreekwoorden (sayings) and uitdrukkingen (expressions), it was May. The zomer (summer) had just started, and we talked about the nice weather. However, you can also have too much sun… At least that’s what our spreekwoord suggests. Sunshine is still awesome, though, as our uitdrukking argues! Let’s take a look at them, starting with the spreekwoord! For other sayings and expressions…
3 Important Dutch Words On The Coronavirus Posted by Sten on Oct 26, 2020
The coronavirus needs no introduction. If you really want one, we did write one before. But we haven’t really discussed the kinds of terms the Dutch use around the Coronavirus. Currently faced by one of the worst upturns in infections of Europe, the Dutch have come up with terms to deal with the dreadful situation. From Coronawaanzin to…
What’s Dutch About The Dutch Oven? Posted by Sten on Oct 2, 2020
While many of the “Dutch” terms that I’ve discussed here on the blog are entirely unrelated to the Dutch, today we have one that actually is! The braadpan (frying pan) made of gietijzer (cast iron) was a Dutch invention that made its way into the early North American colonies. Especially on the trails westwards, it was a popular cooking…
What do the Belgians Speak? Posted by Sten on Sep 8, 2020
We’ve talked about the differences between Dutch and Flemish before. Words and pronunciation are quite different between Dutch dialects and Flemish ones – but where does that leave us? Flemish is not a language; the official language is Nederlands (Dutch). So what gives? A tussentaal? Vlaams as an official language does not exist; It is Nederlands. In 1980, Belgium and…
Dutch Commercials: Amstel and Coolblue Posted by Karoly Molina on Aug 26, 2020
Recently, there have been a few commercials that have caught my attention because they are a quick way to learn a few new words. In this post, I want to focus on Amstel’s beer commercial titled Proostnamen and the series of commercials from the online electronic store Coolblue. Amstel Amstel has been around since 1870 when…
Reinforcing the Houtribdijk in the Netherlands Posted by Karoly Molina on Jul 29, 2020
One of the many wonders of the Netherlands is the intricate system of dikes that protect the country from flooding. The dikes or dijken have also worked as a way to to create more space in this relatively small country. In this post, I want to talk about one particular dike, the Houtribdijk, and the…