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Dutch New Year's Traditions

The Dutch have one of the most interesting and exciting New Year's Day traditions in the world. Dutch settlers in the New World brought these traditions with them, and traces remain to this day, especially in places like Lower Manhattan, where the first Dutch immigrants settled. The clearest remnants of Dutch influence are indicated by street names in this area, like Dutch Street, Vandam, Gansevoort and many more. The early Dutch settlers placed a greater focus on New Year's Day rather than New Year's Eve like Americans do today. Many foods Americans eat today are directly connected to the Dutch, such as waffles, pretzels, pancakes, coleslaw, doughnuts and koekjes (cookies).

On New Year's Day the early settlers visited relatives, friends and neighbors. Homemakers set their best silver and china at tables and served mind-blowing portions of food. All doors were open for guests. In a diary from 1861 the writer tells of one New Year's Day when he went about visiting people with his brother, who insisted they do not visit too many houses. So they only went to 33. Typically the Dutch called on no less than 100 homes. Traditionally the woman of the house received male callers. Only men went visiting, because their wives and daughters were too busy cooking and setting tables. This custom was also a way for boys and girls to meet. A few days after New Year's Day women would go calling on their friends and discuss the event with their friends. They used this opportunity to catch up on gossip. They certainly needed time to relax after the fatiguing organization of the holiday and the long hours of baking. All men had to do was eat and drink a glass of liquor in each house they visited. Considering that they had to call on at least 30 households, that was a feat in itself. Imagine drinking 100 glasses of whiskey and eating 100 portions of food in one day!

The Dutch ate heavy meats, perhaps turkey or tongue, and many sweet foods. Cookies were invariably included in the menu. The traditional molded Dutch cookies were prepared with special cake boards. Some museums in New York display authentic Dutch cake boards.

Now we shall go a bit further back in history to the pagan age. In the 7th century the Druids of the Netherlands and Flanders traditionally exchanged gifts at this time of the year. Saint Eligius, who managed to convert these pagans to Christianity after two decades, deplored this custom and spoke out against it very frequently. Saint Eligius is the patron saint of metalworkers.

Most European countries used the Julian calendar in medieval times. It was introduced by Roman emperor Julius Caesar in 46 BC. The Julian year is 365.25 days long on average. Before the Gregorian calendar was adopted New Year's Day was celebrated on different days.

Another Dutch tradition is the New Year's Swim. It took place on Scheveningen beach in Scheveningen on January 1 this year. At noon thousands of people jump into the freezing cold North Sea. The costumes are far from uniform - people can wear whatever they choose. Santa Claus swimming costumes are quite popular, for example. Of course, you need to be in excellent health to try this stunt. There are no age restrictions. This year the youngest swimmer was three years old, and the oldest - 79. Mostly Dutch people take part, but there are also Belgians, Australians, French and Americans. The event starts exactly at 12 noon. Everybody runs into the sea, but most come out in a few seconds. Everyone is given a cup of delectable hot soup afterwards.