Holidays

Oud en Nieuw 31 December/01 January	New Year. Fireworks, oliebollen, appelflappen
Carnival Six weeks before Easter	Dress up, parades, mostly in the southern part of Holland. Catholic tradition
Pasen Some time in March/April	Easter Sunday children hunt for hidden eggs. You can buy chocolate eggs everywhere. Easter Monday is a holiday.
Koningsdag 27 April	Two minutes of silence at 8pm to remember victims of WW II. Flags are hung at half-mast from 6pm till dusk.
Dodenherdenking 4 May	These are not collected with the normal garbage. For these things you have to call a special number (see www.gad.nl) or take it to the dump (scheidingsstation) at the GAD. At these scheidingsstations you will also be asked to separate your garbage.
Bevrijdingsdag 5 May	Liberation Day. Celebration of the liberation from the occupying forces in 1945. Flags are hung at full-mast.
Hemelvaartsdag	Ascension Day, 39 days after Easter, public Holiday.
Pinksteren	Pentecost, 10 days after Hemelvaartsdag, Monday is Holiday.
Prinsjesdag 3rd Tuesday in September	State opening of parliament. The King and Queen ride in a golden coach through Den Haag (The Hague).
St. Maarten 11 November	Celebrates the goodness of Saint Maarten, who gave the beggar his cape. Children ring doorbells, sing songs and collect candy.
Sinterklaas 5 December	Sinterklaas arrives in November from Spain, by boat, but on the evening before his birthday he brings presents to all. Pepernoten and chocolate letters are traditional, as is bishopswine (kind of Glühwein). Poems come with the presents. The weeks between his arrival in November and December 5th, children can put a shoe next to the chimney and might get some smaller presents.
Kerstmis 25 and 26 December	Christmas. Cooking special dinners, having a nice decorated Christmas tree, renewing the joy that is associated with the birth of Christ.