Archive for 'Culture'
Tens of thousands of Dutchies threaten to leave the country Posted by tiffany on Apr 28, 2013
Tens of thousands of Dutch citizens are in an uproar over something so heinous that they’re threatening to leave the country if something is not done about it. What could be so utterly terrible, so unfathomably unjust, so unpatriotic that it would evoke such a strong reaction among the Dutch people? It’s tyranny! No, it’s…
Frisian and the Skûtsjesilen Championships Posted by heather on Jul 3, 2012
On July 28th the Skûtsjesilen Championships will take place. Have you never heard of the word Skûtsjesilen? I hadn’t. So here is what I found out via the Holland.com website: “Skûtsjes are typical Frisian ships that were originally used as cargo ships by Frisian farmers. Skûtsjes have a long and flat structure with which they…
Dutch Swear Words Posted by heather on May 30, 2012
What is one of the things many people learn first when they learn a new language? Go on, you can say it – we won’t blush. As much as language programs seem to always start with numbers, greetings or even colours, for many people the first word is a swear word. You might have noticed…
Mata Hari – Part Two Posted by heather on May 16, 2012
Last week I told you about the early years of the Dutch woman known as Mata Hari. Today we will continue where we left off and learn about her later years. On March 13th, 1905 Mata Hari (a name M’greet adopted with her new life in Paris) debuted as an exotic dancer. So admired were…
Mata Hari – Part One Posted by heather on May 10, 2012
Mata Hari was born Margaretha Zelle on August 7th 1876 in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. She was the second child of Adam Zelle and Antje van der Meulen. The only girl in a family of four children, she had thick black hair, dark eyes and an olive complexion. Her family gave her the nickname M’greet. Her…
Where Can You Practice Your Dutch in May? Posted by heather on May 1, 2012
How was everyone’s Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day) celebrations? Did you dress in oranje (orange), buy something at the vrijmarkt (free market) or just sat outside enjoying the zonneschijn (sunshine)? Whatever you did, I hope that it was een leuke dag (a fun day). We have now arrived in the month of Mei (May), another good maand…
April and May: Public Holiday Heaven Posted by heather on Mar 30, 2012
If you have lived in the Netherlands for any length of time, you probably have noticed that it isn’t a country blessed with many public holidays. Even worse, perhaps, is the fact that if one of those precious holidays falls on a weekend, the day off is basically lost. It is understandable then why when…