How to celebrate Easter the Dutch way
You know that Easter is round the corner when you see your favourite supermarket stocking up with shelves of chocolate eggs ‘chocolade paaseitjes’. You might also come to realise that Easter in the Netherlands isn’t just a religious celebration, but also a holiday to spend time with friends and family. The Dutch love to celebrate Easter, and here, you will find a list of interesting traditions that are unique in the Netherlands.
Good Friday
The Dutch Easter kicks off with Good Friday ‘Goede Vrijdag’. Good Friday is recognised as a public holiday however, not everyone gets the day off. It is considered a normal working day, except for some offices and schools. Easter Sunday ‘Eerste Paasdag’ and Easter Monday ‘Tweede Paasdag’ are public holidays where schools and most businesses are closed.
Decorating with twigs
Weeks before Easter, you will find willow branches, or ‘paastakken’ - literally translated as Easter branches - on sale at the florists. These are used to decorate Dutch homes, and children join in for some arts and crafts such as painting eggs and little chicks to hang on the branches.
Easter brunch
The Easter breakfast ‘Paasontbijt’ or brunch ‘Paasbrunch’ is an important Dutch tradition – much like Christmas – where families come together for quality time with traditional treats. A lot of schools will also organise an Easter brunch for the kids a few days before Easter. During the brunch you can expect to find the following Easter treats:
- Hot rolls
- Croissants
- A lot of eggs
- ‘Matzes’ – unleavened plain crackers
- 'Paasstol’ – bread with a marzipan filling, raisins and powdered sugar
- Bread in the shape of bunny's
- Every pastry they can think off with a yellow frosting
Easter egg hunt
The most loved Easter activity is none other than the Easter egg hunt. Instead of the Easter bunny, the Dutch have an Easter hare ‘Paashaas’ who hides the eggs for the kids to find. Whoever finds the most eggs wins! Not only do children look for eggs at home, but also many parks and neighborhoods create egg hunts for its residents.
Easter musical – The Passion
The Passion is a Dutch Easter musical that returns every year with a different cast of Dutch actors and presenters. The musical reenacts the story of Easter and Jesus, with Dutch pop songs intertwined into the story. The Passion takes place in a different city every year, three days before Easter, and is normally presented live in the city square with a complete musical ensemble. This year it will be performed live on the Stadhuisplein in Terneuzen, Zeeland and broadcasted on Thursday, April 17, can be watched on channel NPO 1 at 8.30 pm.
Matthäus-Passion
Another Easter tradition that is unique to the Dutch is St Matthew Passion. This composition by Johann Sebastian Bach is performed in churches throughout the country around the time of Easter, with many locals making this an annual affair.
How do you celebrate Easter? Perhaps you could incorporate some of these traditions into your celebration.