Dutch New Year’s Traditions

• Posted on 2 January 2024
• By BJ Vanderplaat
• 1

Some highlighted Dutch New Year's traditions.

Every country around the world has their own way to celebrate new year’s. The Dutch are no different, although we may find some of their traditions a little odd, a lot unsafe, or just similar-yet-different. The Netherlands doesn’t have that many public holidays, so people love to whoop it up New Year’s Eve since they can sleep in the next day.

Dutch people are known for their stubbornness. (I know, big surprise.) Instead of letting someone else have all the fun of planning a fireworks display Dutch people will buy their own - which is only legal December 29, 30 and 31 - unless one of those days is a Sunday. Neighbourhood streets will be full of people lighting off their rockets, fireworks and dazzlers. Needless to say the emergency rooms at hospitals do a booming business on New Year’s Eve. It’s been a long-standing community event, and in spite of injuries no one would ever want to ban this tradition. The story goes that loud firecrackers were first used to scare off evil spirits on the last night of the year so the new year could begin with a clean slate.

Would you like to strike it rich? What a great way to ring in the new year! Buy an oudejaarslot ticket. 2023’s grand prize was a whopping 30 million euros. However, over 7 million tickets were sold, so the odds of winning big-time are pretty slim. There are several smaller prizes though. The winners are announced at midnight, so the firework partiers have to pause for a bit to find out if they are the lucky winners.

Of course, no celebration is complete without food. Oliebollen and Appleflappen are the big ones. People show up before dawn to get a place in line at the bakery to make sure they get several dozen of each. You could make your own, but you would smell like a deep fryer, and it’s easier if someone else does the work.

Music is also a big part of any party. Radio 2 in the Netherlands asks people to vote on the best songs of all time. The top 2000 songs are then played from Christmas until New Year’s eve. This has been a tradition since 1999. The winning song is usually Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, or Hotel California by The Eagles.

Fireworks, food, music and usually copious amounts of drink make for quite the lively party, but many people feel the effects the next morning. Thank goodness for the Nieuwjaarsduik, or Polar Bear Dip. The North Sea is cold at the best of times, but still at noon on New Year’s Day up to 30,000 people take part at over 30 different locations along the coast. It’s fun to see all these people, most of them wearing bright orange toques, go rushing into the freezing water. Unox, maker of many canned foods, proudly donates the hats each year, so even if you can’t feel the rest of your body, at least the top of your head will be warm. It’s also the perfect hangover cure. When the hearty souls come out of the water, they are treated to a steaming bowl of snert, or pea soup. Makes it all worthwhile.

The Dutch know how to party and are very good at it. For them, as is with all of us, the new year brings hope, and the possibility of so many things. May this year bring all of us only good things!