Happy New Year everybody! How are you celebrating? In the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the provinces of Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel and Gelderland, there is a tradition of baking New Year's waffles on New Year's Day. Traditionally, these waffles were made using large irons which were put in the hearth. In 1999, my mother co-authored a book about these New Year's irons, for which I took photographs and did research. Several of these irons contained names and I helped to find out who … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Midwinterhoorn
22 December 2014 by 2 Comments
Midwinterhoorn literally means "Mid winter horn." It is a wooden horn that is typical for the eastern part of the country. The horns are made of a curved branch of a tree, which is sawed in half length-wise, hollowed out and put back together with a mouth piece attached to it. In Gelderland and Overijssel, midwinterhoorns are traditionally played during the Advent season. They are often played over a well, to amplify the sound, which can carry over miles and miles. For me, … [Read more...]
Sinterklaas
1 December 2005 by 1 Comment
It's almost December 5th, Saint Nicholas day. In the Netherlands that's a big event for small children, like Santaclaus in the US. In this article I will describe how Sinterklaas is celebrated in the Netherlands and our own family traditions around this holiday. … [Read more...]
