Easter in the Netherlands
What better way to understand how Easter is celebrated in the Netherlands than by having a local guide you through it? Today, one of our Relocation Consultants will share her experiences with Easter, reminiscing about how it was celebrated at school and how her family celebrates it now.
When I think back to celebrating Easter when I was little, I instantly recall the joy of the holiday, the arts and crafts and the Easter egg hunt in particular. At school, we always crafted a little Easter basket out of paper to use while hunting for eggs. Depending on the grade I was in, the more advanced the crafted Easter baskets became. I remember starting in primary school with a basic folded basket, but by the time I reached my final year of school, I had learned how to weave with paper to make a sturdy basket that was actually capable of holding an egg. At home, the creativity continued as my family and I decorated eggs for Easter brunch. We used all sorts of decorations: paint, markers, glitter, or stickers – anything to make them look pretty. Did we stick to a particular theme? Absolutely not, the more colorful and crazy, the better!
Another tradition that holds many happy memories is the Easter egg hunt. I loved it when my dad (or the “Easter bunny”) hid all kinds of chocolate eggs in our garden. It was so much fun to frantically run through the garden with my little sister and dog, trying to find shiny foil-wrapped chocolates. We usually did this before brunch, so we could eat some of the chocolate after we’d finished our Easter brunch. I still vividly remember that it made me a little sad that we had to count our eggs and divide them equally between my sister and I, as I was clearly the better egg hunter!
As an adult, there is less emphasis on Easter egg hunting. Now I recreate that thrill by hunting down a wacky new flavor of chocolate eggs. Albert Heijn and HEMA are far too creative for their own good. I hope to find a tompouce-flavored chocolate egg this year. This flavor sounds so ridiculous that I simply must try one.
Easter brunch has become the main event as a grown-up, it is the first opportunity following Christmas to get together with family, set a nice table and share a meal. Easter brunch at my parents’ usually consists of a big spread, including bunny-shaped buns, croissants, some funky Easter-themed pastries, and Matzes. The latter is a rather dry cracker, but when slathered in butter and sprinkled with sugar on top, it’s delightful. It’s actually the thing I look most forward to at brunch. To me, not all brunch components are great. The festive easter bread, or ‘stol’, is an essential at Easter brunch. The sweet bread with raisins and filled with an almond paste is to sweet for my liking, but it is a favorite for many Dutchies. The other key components of Easter brunch are eggs; as my dad always says, “een ei hoort erbij!” I don’t think it rhymes as nicely once translated; eggs are part of the deal. My mom also makes an effort to make the brunch table look nice and easter-y, to this day she still uses little wire chicks from my childhood to decorate the table. They’ve been a part of Easter celebrations since I was little, and I am so happy they stuck around and are still part of my easter today! They are either clipped onto the decorative Easter branches or scattered across the kitchen table.
Easter is all about spending making memories with family and keeping traditions that make the holiday special to you. If you recently relocated to the Netherlands your Easter might look very different from previous years. We hope that you will find new special moments and traditions to make your own in the Netherlands. Wishing you and your family a very happy Easter!