Hello Going Expat people,
Although we’re not talking about traditions here, there are 5 things you should know about Dutch birthdays and they will help you to manage these occasions as well as possible, once you move here.
If you follow me on Instagram, it’s possible you’ve seen some stories where I tell fun facts, about Dutch birthdays. In this article I will tell you about 5 of them. And of course, bear in mind they are also seen from an Italian point of view and so they are very pecualiar for me. Depending where you are from, they might be just normal.
1- Best wishes to you and family!
It sounds almost like the Christmas message on whatsapp from that person you only hear on that occasion. But no! It is a nice habit from the Dutch people to congratulate the b-day person and their close family/relatives.
Do not be surprised if it is your partner or child´s birthday and you are also congratulated.
To congratulate the b-day person you´d say Gefeliciteerd or Gefeliciteerd met jou verjaardag. To my family instead, you would say Gefeliciteerd met Rossella (verjaardag). That translated are Happy Birthday and Congratulations for the Rossella´s Birthday.
Funny, isn’t it?
2- The parties in a circle
Maybe among younger ones this is a bit different, but in general the birthday parties at home require that we sit in a circle to eat a slice of cake or make together the aperitif, here called Borell.
The typical setting is therefore to have the chairs placed in a circle with a table in the middle and probably the sofa on the opposite side.
You talk and joke and tehre is music in the background.
3- The flag decorations
No matter how old you are, there is no birthday without these decorations around the house. If you put the balloon with your age number on the window, even better.
I find it a very sweet habits
4- No cake cutting and bottle uncorking
In Italy there is no birthday that does not include a cake, the blowing of candles, the cutting of the cake and then you have to uncork the bottle of prosecco. That’s not usually the case in the Netherlands.
In fact, here they tend to buy the cake yes, but simply offer it already in slices to guests. In some cases, tthey also buy slices of different flavors so that the guests can choose their favorite.
No, in this case I have not adapted, for me the whole birthday´s cake reamins a must and I also must blow out the candles!
5- The bathroom calendar
Although this fifth point is not related to the celebrations, it is certainly a curious peculiarity. In fact, it is a habit of the Dutch to have a calendar for birthdays in the bathroom.
Not a normal calendar but one in which you read only the months and the numbers. So the page of each month goes from 1 to 30/31 but are not marked the days of the week and the year. This way you don’t have to change it every year and you will always be sure to don´t miss the birthday date of family members and closest friends.
Brilliant!
Do you know any other birthday habits in the Netherlands? Are there any similar habits in your country of residence?
Let me know
A hug and see you soon
Rossella
