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Christmas |
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Holiday Season
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 Christmas - For visitors to the city, who are more used to the Anglo-American Christmas held on the 24 and 25 December, there is still plenty of fun left to be had. If you find yourself in the city this Christmas, the following are a few suggestions to help you pass the time and incorporate a little Dutch culture into your holidays.
Museumplein is turned into a Christmas Square every year, boasting a market and craft-making displays perfect for passing an afternoon. There is also an ice rink which is open well into the evening. Christmas lights have been up since November, and an evening stroll in any direction from the brightly-illuminated tree in Dam Square can prove a pleasant one, especially through the Leidseplein and its surrounding area or towards the Jordaan, which is full of cosy cafes and unique shops.
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New Years |
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Holiday Season
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 New Years - New Year's Eve in Amsterdam is named Oudjaarsdag or Oudjaarsavond, meaning "Old Year's Day" and "Old Year's Evening," respectively. You might also see and hear December 31 referred to as Oud en Nieuw, or "Old and New."
Whatever you call it, if you are celebrating he end of a year, and welcoming a new one in Amsterdam, you are in for a memorable party. So practice saying ‘gelukkig nieuwjaar’ and find the right revelry for you.
Citywide and Free-for-All Fireworks
So where's the biggest New Year's Eve party in Amsterdam? The city streets, of course!
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Sinterklaas |
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Holiday Season
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 Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas (also called Sint Nicolaas, de Goedheiligman or simply de Sint in Dutch, is a traditional Winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname and the Dutch Antillian countries. He is celebrated annually on Saint Nicholas' eve (5 December) or, in Belgium, on the morning of 6 December. The feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of Amsterdam, children and sailors. He is the basis of the mythical holiday figure of Santa Claus in the United States
All Dutch children know that Sinterklaas (the name is a corruption of Sint Nikolaas) lives in Spain. It is what old Sinterklaas songs and nursery rhymes claim, but exactly why he does remains a mystery.
Whatever the case may be, in Spain, it's said, he spends most of the year recording the behaviour of all children in a big red book, while his helper Black Peter stocks up on presents for next December 5th. In the first weeks of November, Sinterklaas mounts Amerigo, his white horse and Peter (Piet) swings a huge sack full of gifts over his shoulder they then board Sinterklaas’ steamship and head for the Netherlands.
Around mid- November they arrive in a harbour town - a different one every year - where they are formally greeted by the Mayor and a delegation of citizens. Their parade through town is watched live on television by the whole country and marks the beginning of the "Sinterklaas season".
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