It is April! Some of you might think of spring coming up (although April sometimes bodes for some strange weather), others might think of April Fools’ Day. And again others might think of Rokjesdag (Skirt Day). This April 10 is a beautiful day for Rokjesdag, it appears… Sunny, not too windy… but it is a Friday! Huh? What? Read on!

Skirt Day is a known phenomenon in the US, where there are variations like Mini Skirt Day. However, this is not what matters in the the Dutch version of the word.

The term Rokjesdag has existed longer, but column writer Martin Bril made the term popular with a column he wrote in 1996. He used the term repeatedly in years afterwards, and it gained more popularity. It became so popular, that it even got its own entry in the Van Dale, the standard Dutch dictionary. There, it is also referred to as Bloesjesdag (blouse day), however this is a lot less used.

Rokjesdag in Den Haag (The Hague) (Image by FaceMePLS at Flickr.com)

In 2009, the year Bril died, it was the last time he could decide when Rokjesdag was or was going to be. Now, there are other methods, such as the Rokjesbarometer (which relies on the amount of twitter messages with #rokjesdag), or the Skirt Alert smartphone-app, in which you can either say YES or NO to wearing a skirt that day. So nowadays, Rokjesdag is more referred to as a good weather day, suitable for wearing a skirt. Bril, however, made his estimation by his own criteria. With his own definition from the column in 1996.

So what is Rokjesdag according to him? It is not just good weather for wearing skirts. It is, as Bril stated it, die ene dag in het voorjaar dat alle vrouwen als bij toverslag ineens een rok dragen, met daaronder blote benen (that one spring day that all women, as if by magic, suddenly wear a skirt, with bare legs beneath).

And, according to him, the toverslag, the magic, is what makes it mysterious and special. As was suggested before, the erotic notion is not at all of importance here. It is about how all women must suddenly have this feeling that the day is good for a skirt, and, as if by agreement, all wear skirts. Bril estimated that this is always around April 15, when the weather is around 20°C (68°F), and the wind is not too strong (so the skirt stays in place).

What day of the week fits best? Again, Bril helps out. According to him, Rokjesdag is only valid if the skirts are worn all day. And this would not be possible on weekends, so Fridays to Sundays. Then, it is too easy to just change. No, freezing in the morning before going to work, and then, having worn the skirt all day, until coming home in the evening, that makes skirt day.

In the video below, a library in Eindhoven had prizes for the first women that would come in skirts – a hair removal treatment for the legs! It is also suggested that Rokjesdag nowadays falls on April 22, the dying day of Martin Bril. However, do the women in the video conform with the definition set out by Bril for Rokjesdag?

However, doet het ertoe? (does it matter?) Bril thinks, and I agree, het is maar een geintje (it is just a joke). Dutch humor!

Still need to buy a rokje for this particular day? This post will help you out!

Do you know Rokjesdag, and when does it occur in your opinion?