{"id":3304,"date":"2015-06-17T19:04:16","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T19:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=3304"},"modified":"2015-06-17T19:04:16","modified_gmt":"2015-06-17T19:04:16","slug":"vlaggetjesdag-in-the-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/vlaggetjesdag-in-the-netherlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Vlaggetjesdag in the Netherlands!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Saturday was a special day for Holland: the first day of the haringseizoen\u00a0<\/em>(herring season)! In Scheveningen, a beach town close to The Hague (well, it is basically part of The Hague now), this day is celebrated on\u00a0Vlaggetjesdag <\/em>(Flags Day). Beside loads of\u00a0haring<\/em>, there are many fun things to do, both for young and old.<\/p>\n

Fishing boats are open for visits and water tours. Many people dress up in traditional Dutch clothing, and do certain old-fashioned tasks, like the women on the picture, weaving a vissersnet\u00a0<\/em>(fishing net).<\/p>\n

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Women weaving fishing nets on Vlaggetjesdag (Image by Rob Oo at Flickr.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

How\u00a0it started<\/b><\/p>\n

Traditionally,\u00a0Vlaggetjesdag <\/em>took place\u00a0on the Saturday before Pentecost in the havens of\u00a0IJmuiden, Vlaardingen\u00a0<\/em>and Scheveningen<\/i>. It appears to have gone back hundreds of years, as early as the 1700s.<\/p>\n

Later, around the 20th century, the fishing boats would lie in the docks, decorated with flags. On that day, the boats would be checked, whether the engines still work, \u00a0equipment is still fine, and so on. After all, the boats had not been at sea for the entire winter. On Pentecost, so the week after, the boats would go out onto the sea. Now, you see, this was the week before Pentecost, so in May. However, nowadays it is celebrated in June. What is going on here?<\/p>\n

In the older tradition, the day would be celebrated when the fishermen would leave the haven to catch herring, which was found mostly around Scotland. Now, the day that they return is celebrated: and the boat that arrives first brings the first\u00a0Nieuwe Haring<\/em> (new herring).<\/p>\n

Below a video of a celebration of this day in 1960, in Urk.<\/p>\n