Posted by Yohann
Children everywhere in the world are told scary stories about mythological creatures as a warning to behave. Dutch children are no exception.
Here are some evil and some not quite so evil supernatural beings that exist in Dutch folklore:
(Boeman) is the Bogeyman of the Netherlands. According to Dutch lore, a man dressed in black with sharp claws and fangs kidnaps bad children and locks them in a basement. (Kidnaps…Locks in basement…I think that’s the aspect that’s scarier than the fangs and claws.)
(Mara) is a supernatural female creature that causes people to have nightmares by sitting on their chest. (Uh…that’s just wrong, as if children already need more obstacles to fall asleep)
(Witte Wieven) means “White Women.” They’re female elves that live near cemeteries and thought to have the power to help or harm people, depending on their mood. (Hmmm…I’m beginning to see a trend in a lot of the monsters being female…kind of sexist, don’t you think?)
(Kabouter) is a gnome or leprechaun. They live underground and wear pointy red hats. The males have long beards. Some are helpful to humans. They clean the house and in one story they make shoes for an elderly couple. At other times they can be mischievous and trash your whole house (But you see…I know real people who do that…and they probably blame it on the Kabouter)
(Klaas Vaak) is the Dutch version of the Sandman. He sprinkles magical sand or dust to put children to sleep. The sand is supposed to be the muck stuck between your eyes when you wake up in the morning. (That’s actually a clever way to explain how eye wax got stuck to your eye. I think kids can accept that explanation)
If you know of any other “creatures” write it in the comment box.
Posted by Yohann
Koninginnedag is Queen’s Day in the Netherlands. It’s a national holiday and celebrated towards the end of April. It’s a day of Saamhorigheid or national unity and pride. One this day the people of the Netherlands are proud of being Dutch and are proud of having the Dutch royal family represent them.
The key event is vrijmarkt. Vijimarkt means free market. You can see vendors on the streets selling all sorts of items. Kind of like a flea market or garage sale. The items range from used goods to some really nifty and rare collectibles. Jordaan is a town known for its low prices. Vondelpark has a lot of items for children. Utrecht has a 24 hour market. The great thing about this day is that you don’t need to pay taxes on the goods sold. The money you earn from the sale of goods is all yours.
All over the Netherlands you’ll see people display Oranjegekte or orange craziness. People will wear bright orange clothes, because the Dutch royal family traces its lineage to the House of Orange. Some people go so far as to dye their hair orange and paint their faces orange.
Koninginnenacht is Queen’s Night. This is the day before Koninginnedag or Queen’s Day. Koninginnenacht is the night where the bars are open into the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes you can hear drunk revelers singing at 3 am in the morning. By the morning they’re passed out in the street. Unfortunately the drinks aren’t free, so keep a close eye on the tab!
Posted by Yohann
If you’ve ever stopped by the Netherlands, you’ve probably heard about “the Queen” at least in passing. America is one of those countries without royalty, but in Europe and in the Netherlands, the royal family is still alive and kicking.
Queen Beatrix’s full name is Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard. She was born in January 31st 1938. She’s 71 years old, a granny. Don’t understimate this granny. She has a law degree. How many queens do you know have a law degree? Generally the people of the Netherlands like her, but she’s been in some controversy in the past…
On her wedding day, protesters threw smoke bombs to protest the fact that she was marrying Claus von Amsberg. Claus is a German aristocrat and he was involved in the Hitler Youth program was he was young. The people of Netherland were enraged because they had suffered under the hands of Germany during the war. It brought up bad feelings, but she married him anyway.
She’s also one of the richest women in the Netherlands. Her reported wealth is $15.5 billion. Some people have questioned whether the royal family should have this much money and whether the Netherlands should even have a royal family in the first place. The Queen is also protected by the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, which is a government office that protects her from the press. Any bad stories about the Queen will be handled by this office. So yeah, she’s very powerful indeed.
Posted by Yohann
(Goedemorgen) - good morning
(Goedemiddag) - good day
(Goedenavond) - good evening
(Goedenacht) - good night
(Tot ziens) - good bye
(Alstublieft/Alsjeblieft) - please (formal and informal)
(Dank u wel/Dank je wel) - Thank you (formal and informal)
(Hartelijk bedankt) - Thank you very much
(Graag gedaan) - You’re welcome
(Ja/Nee) - Yes/No
(Hoe gaat het met u?/Hoe gaat het met je?) - How are you? (formal and informal)
(Hoe heet u?/Hoe heet je?) - What’s your name? (formal and informal)
Posted by Yohann
You’ll need to know the names of Dutch letters so that when you ask the spelling of certain word you’ll know how to write the word.
a - called ah in Dutch
b - bay
c - say
d - day
e - ay
f - eff
g - khay
h - hah
i - ee
j - yay
k - kah
l - ell
m - emm
n -enn
o - oh
p - pay
q - kew
r - air
s - ess
t - tay
u - ew
v - fay
w - vay
x - eeks
y - ee-greek
z - zett
