The Netherlands is a unique country with many traditions and celebrations which can surprise you. However, there is one celebration in particular that you can only experience here in the land of cheese, bikes and beer – Carnaval.
What is Carnaval?
Carnaval is a special festival that has been celebrated in the Netherlands for centuries. This celebration changed a lot throughout history. It first appeared in the early Middle Ages in the form of a feast during which people could enjoy one last day of eating as much as they wanted before the winter food shortage would come. Now, Carnaval is one of the most beloved celebrations among the Dutch and internationals in which people from all ages and areas of life escape from their daily routine by dressing in funny costumes, dancing and drinking together.
When to start preparing?
While the original Carnaval days will take place from the 19th of February until the 21st of February in 2023, there is also one day of celebrations on 11th of November this year. The number 11 plays a big role in the whole celebration because it is known as the ‘fool’s number’. Therefore, 11.11 is considered the beginning of the Carnaval period. So be wary and do not miss it!
What about the dress etiquette?
During Carnaval people dress to impress. Their costumes are usually massive, colorful, eye-catching and absolutely fabulous. If you walk around the streets of Breda during this period you will encounter all types of people dressed as kings, cows, big babies, chickens, clowns, supermen, S.W.A.T team members, tigers, people in crazy orange outfits, jokers and witches, among others. However, each city has its own traditional costume. Breda is famous for its fancy, sparkling jackets all covered with badges and a red or orange scarf.
If you are new to the city and you don't have a costume for Carnaval yet, online sites such as Party.nl, Funidelia, Fun & Feest and Vegaoo.nl are very popular among students. You can also buy your Carnival costume and accessories on a budget from the store SoLow and Pop-Sjop both located in the city center of Breda.
What else can you expect?
A celebration as old as Carnaval is of course filled with many traditions. One of them is that each major city in the Netherlands chooses a Carnaval prince. This means that the mayor hands over the key to the city to the chosen man, who is usually a successful person or an important figure in the area. The Carnaval prince walks around the city dressed in his traditional costume and big red hat on, and pumps up the Carnaval spirit. However, a lot of men wear the same costume as the Carnaval prince so don’t mistake them for the real one!
Another very popular Carnaval tradition is Carnaval floats. There are even special clubs in which people make the floats. Their creations are always very colorful, funny, positive and extremely creative. Some of the floats represent other Dutch traditions or fairytales which relate to the chosen theme of that years’ Carnaval. It is a beautiful and unique scene you can only enjoy during the Carnaval period.
Carnival vocabulary you NEED to know!
There are words and phrases which you just have to know when it comes to celebrating Carnaval. This could help you understand the Dutch culture, integrate with it and have even more fun.
- “Alaaf” - people use this to greet each other or simply express their excitement about something.
- “Hossen” - means “dancing” and you will be doing a lot of it during Carnaval.
- “Polonaise” - one of the many songs during which people hold on to each other’s shoulders and dance around all together.
- “Vastelaovend” - literally translated it means “Fat Tuesday”, which is the last day of Carnaval.
So go ahead, take a free day from your study or work, buy a costume and head to Breda centrum where you can enjoy the festive atmosphere, funny Dutch songs, crazy costumes, lots of beer and an overall unique night out.
