Archive for 'News'
Zondag Met Lubach: The End of a Dutch TV Show Era Posted by Sten on Mar 29, 2021
Yesterday night was the last episode of the razend populair (extremely popular) comedy TV program Zondag met Lubach. Much like the American The Daily Show, Zondag met Lubach took news and “remixed” it into a satirical show. But now it’s over! Here’s what the show was like. Why does Zondag met Lubach stop? Since its inception in 2014, the show enjoyed a…
How The Dutch Elections Work Posted by Sten on Mar 15, 2021
On Wednesday, it’s time for new elections in the Netherlands! With 37 parties and hundreds of electable people, choosing a party and a person in that party can be daunting. So how do the Dutch make that choice? How does the Dutch voting system work? The Dutch have what’s called a parlementaire democratie (parliamentary democracy) with a meerpartijenstelsel…
CRAZY Snow Weather in the Netherlands Posted by Sten on Feb 8, 2021
This weekend, something miraculous happened in the Netherlands. It snowed like it hadn’t in a very long time. Thick layers of snow in some parts of the country allowed sleeën (sleighing), langlaufen (cross-country skiing) or even skiën (skiing)! Here’s a short overview of what happened and related Dutch vocabulary as well as some Dutch news articles with more information. SO MUCH…
Three Dutch Words The Avondklok (Curfew) Made Relevant Posted by Sten on Jan 25, 2021
Like many other countries, the Netherlands introduced an avondklok (curfew) to reduce the incidence of COVID cases. The rule that entered into force on Saturday prohibits people from going outside between 21:00 (9 pm) and 4:30 (4:30 am). Some of the Dutch didn’t like that. From ways to omzeilen (circumvent) the avondklok to rellen (riots), a lot has happened in…
Why Did the Dutch Government Suddenly Decide to Leave? Posted by Sten on Jan 18, 2021
Last Friday, the Dutch regering decided that it was time to opstappen (resign). Minister-president (Prime Minister) Mark Rutte offered the ontslag (resignation) of his entire kabinet (cabinet) to the koning (king). The toeslagenaffaire was the big cause of the aftreding (resignation). What happened? And why now? And what does this mean for Nederland? The kindertoeslagenaffaire It’s a long word, but with a heavy load. The kindertoeslagenaffaire (child welfare fraud scandal)…
How the Dutch Dip Into the New Year under COVID Rules Posted by Sten on Jan 11, 2021
Everybody starts the new year differently. A common way for the Dutch is the nieuwjaarsduik (New Year’s Dip). Dutch maniacs (that’s what I call them) all over the country dip into freezing January water in nothing but their swimwear. And, at least at the largest event, an orange unoxmutsje (Unox hat). With the sausage maker’s sponsorship, the…
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…