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EveryParampara

Traditions of Amsterdam

A canal city of King's Day in orange, Sinterklaas arrivals by boat and herring eaten by the tail.

Amsterdam is built on canals and is the capital of the Netherlands. Its calendar of folk traditions is rich: King's Day, on 27 April, when the city turns orange and everyone sells their belongings in street markets, and Sinterklaas in December, when children are given gifts on the evening of 5 December.

Amsterdam
Photo: ESA (European Space Agency), Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

King's Day and Sinterklaas

On Koningsdag, people wear orange, stroll on boats and set up vrijmarkt, free markets, on pavements. In mid-November, Sinterklaas arrives by steamboat from Spain in a harbour parade, and children put out a shoe for gifts. At the New Year, oliebollen, deep-fried dough balls, are eaten.

At the table

Raw herring with onions, haring, in new season in June, stroopwafels, and poffertjes, are Dutch street foods. Dutch pancakes and pea soup, erwtensoep, are winter meals. A Dutch breakfast has bread with chocolate sprinkles, hagelslag. Jenever is a juniper spirit.

Signature traditions of Amsterdam

SinterklaasThe gift-giving saint.

Also part of it, and being written: King's Day (The national day.), Oliebol (The New Year fritter.), Stroopwafel (The syrup waffle.), Haring (The herring.).

A trail idea for Amsterdam

  1. Albert Cuyp Market Eat stroopwafels.
  2. Jordaan Walk the canals.
  3. Noordermarkt Visit the Saturday market.
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.