🇳🇱 The Dutch forum 🇳🇱🧡

Hello everybody! 🙋‍♀️

Today is in The Netherlands a very important day because small children celebrate...

St. Maarten!!

Who knows what this means and what is the tradition? 🙂 And if you know it, do you also celebrate it in your country?

I used to do that!! I just saw little children with their parents with the lampions in their hands. So cute and brought back memories. 😊🌟

Hello everybody! 🙋‍♀️

Today is in The Netherlands a very important day because small children celebrate...

St. Maarten!!

Who knows what this means and what is the tradition? 🙂 And if you know it, do you also celebrate it in your country?

In Belgium, some cities celebrate Saint Martin and the rest celebrate Saint Nicholas on December 6

Oohh yeah it‘s so cool! In Germany it‘s called „Sankt Martin“! We always have a big fire on for example the marketplace or on the playground of the elementary school of our village! It‘s something like a bonfire, and there‘s many children with the lanterns! There‘s also a pastry we call either „zuckerbrezel“ or „martinsbrezel“. It‘s basically dough shaped like a pretzel but with sugar on top!

That sounds like so much fun! Very gemütlich haha! 😜

Hello everybody! 🙋‍♀️

Today is in The Netherlands a very important day because small children celebrate...

St. Maarten!!

Who knows what this means and what is the tradition? 🙂 And if you know it, do you also celebrate it in your country?

Wait isn’t St. Maarten an Island ? 😭

Hello everybody! 🙋‍♀️

Today is in The Netherlands a very important day because small children celebrate...

St. Maarten!!

Who knows what this means and what is the tradition? 🙂 And if you know it, do you also celebrate it in your country?

In het westen van Duitsland, in het Rijnland, heben wij ook Sint Maarten, maar het festje is alleen maar een optocht.

Thanks everybody for your reactions!! So St. Maarten is about a noble man who had a sword and he cut a part of his cape to give it to a begger. And he was a noble man from France in the city Tours! But because it is celebrated in The Netherlands it is also important for the Dutch forum! 😛

So what happens is that small children have a lantern and they walk in their street and ring at doors to sing a small song. And the song rhyms in Dutch. And parents or older children walk with them. And they get candy and sweets after they finish the song or sometimes a fruit or a coin and they put that in a basket and go to the next door. 😊😊 Today i walked with two small children because their mom could not do that. And they had animal lanterns and were VERY shy to sing a song and I also got sweets even though i am not small like them!!! 🤭🤭😝😝😝

This is what we sing but in English it does not rhyme of course:

Saint Maarten Saint Maarten
The cows have tails
The girls wear skirts
The boys wear socks
There comes Saint Maarten.

or you can sing:

11 November is the day
that my light that my light
11 November is the day
that my light may shine!

When is the last time that you also walked with a lantern @-Kiki-? When I was smaller I was SUPER SHY to sing but i loved my lanterns a LOTTTT!!!! ❤️❤️

And @Sabri_KC is right that St. Maarten is also an island, but I have no idea if that is because of the same holy person!! 🙄🙄 I like a lot what @Fleurke, @nikikat_03 and @Piwipete say that they also celebrate in Belgium and Germany but in a different way!! ❣️🥰 Here you can read more about Saint Maarten: https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/what-sint-maarten-and-how-can-you-celebrate-it and I looked up what Emmi said about the German zuckerbrezel and martinsbrezel and I found this online: https://morethanbeerandschnitzel.com/tag/zuckerbrezel/ 🥨🥨

Thanks everybody for your reactions!! So St. Maarten is about a noble man who had a sword and he cut a part of his cape to give it to a begger. And he was a noble man from France in the city Tours! But because it is celebrated in The Netherlands it is also important for the Dutch forum! 😛

So what happens is that small children have a lantern and they walk in their street and ring at doors to sing a small song. And the song rhyms in Dutch. And parents or older children walk with them. And they get candy and sweets after they finish the song or sometimes a fruit or a coin and they put that in a basket and go to the next door. 😊😊 Today i walked with two small children because their mom could not do that. And they had animal lanterns and were VERY shy to sing a song and I also got sweets even though i am not small like them!!! 🤭🤭😝😝😝

This is what we sing but in English it does not rhyme of course:

Saint Maarten Saint Maarten
The cows have tails
The girls wear skirts
The boys wear socks
There comes Saint Maarten.

or you can sing:

11 November is the day
that my light that my light
11 November is the day
that my light may shine!

When is the last time that you also walked with a lantern @-Kiki-? When I was smaller I was SUPER SHY to sing but i loved my lanterns a LOTTTT!!!! ❤️❤️

And @Sabri_KC is right that St. Maarten is also an island, but I have no idea if that is because of the same holy person!! 🙄🙄 I like a lot what @Fleurke, @Emmi1711 and @Piwipete say that they also celebrate in Belgium and Germany but in a different way!! ❣️🥰 Here you can read more about Saint Maarten: https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/what-sint-maarten-and-how-can-you-celebrate-it and I looked up what Emmi said about the German zuckerbrezel and martinsbrezel and I found this online: https://morethanbeerandschnitzel.com/tag/zuckerbrezel/ 🥨🥨

Those songsss!! So nostalgiccccc 🥺 I was very shy as well and also used to have lanterns with animals. 🏮🐸🐷 I still like those the best haha. My grandma organised Saint Maarten in the street and the kids gathered at her house to get to know the rules and know which houses were giving candy. It was so much fun. 😊🥺 I think it's been over a decade now since I've done it the last time. Kinda makes me sound old lol. 😆 It's nice they also gave you the candy and very nice you went with the kids. 😊

Thank you very much @-Kiki- and i like reading it a lot how it went when you walked also St. Maarten!!! 😛 It is nicer to be in a group but sometimes groups can be busy and some children are super loud like they had a sugar mountain. I prefered to walk with my mom or dad when i had that age or with not more than one friend from school but that's it. And because it is dark outside the lanterns are very pretty and i liked that the most. 🥰🥰🥰

Now we can see in the group app of the street where you can ring at the door and who does not want to be disturbed. And many houses have a light outside like a lamp or a candle that is in a special pot to protect it from the wind and the cold. 🕯️🕯️

Many people say that now children only celebrate Halloween but that is NOT true. Halloween is in our street more for older children like for example in high school. And Saint Maarten is for smaller children. And some do both because you get more sweets and candies!! 😛 🍬🍭🍫🍡

I know that Sint Maarten is only celebrated in French Flanders (the region in the extreme-north at the Belgian border), but it’s often celebrated on November 10th.

Also, what exactly do you celebrate ? 😮 I’m curious

I know that Sint Maarten is only celebrated in French Flanders (the region in the extreme-north at the Belgian border), but it’s often celebrated on November 10th.

Also, what exactly do you celebrate ? 😮 I’m curious

What do we celebrate on Sint Maarten? Saint Martin has its origins in Catholic tradition in honor of Saint Martin (or Martin) of Tours, a saint from the fourth century. This man gave half of his cloak to a beggar, to keep the person warm during the cold winter months.Saint Martin is celebrated on November 11, the day on which the Catholic Church remembers Saint Martin of Tours. In some regions of Europe, children go door to door at night with lanterns asking for sweets. On November 11, the day of the ecclesiastical memorial of Saint Martin of Tours (

I think that next year all members of this Dutch forum should walk in a Dutch street and sing the song at each house for candies and sweets. That will be very funny because it is not very small children and they dont expect that. But it would be fun i think! 😛 😛

And @Piwipete can also speak Dutch and @Sabri_KC is also learning things so it would be very nice!! @-Kiki-, @Fleurke and i can train you and also the other members of this forum! 🙂

I think that next year all members of this Dutch forum should walk in a Dutch street and sing the song at each house for candies and sweets. That will be very funny because it is not very small children and they dont expect that. But it would be fun i think! 😛 😛

And @Piwipete can also speak Dutch and @Sabri_KC is also learning things so it would be very nice!! @-Kiki-, @Fleurke and i can train you and also the other members of this forum! 🙂

It will sure be funny hhhh

I think that next year all members of this Dutch forum should walk in a Dutch street and sing the song at each house for candies and sweets. That will be very funny because it is not very small children and they dont expect that. But it would be fun i think! 😛 😛

And @Piwipete can also speak Dutch and @Sabri_KC is also learning things so it would be very nice!! @-Kiki-, @Fleurke and i can train you and also the other members of this forum! 🙂

That would be fun haha. I think they'd get a hard time remembering the songs tho!! 😂😜

But we can train them of course @Fleurke and @-Kiki- and I know that they will be super Dutchies and can sing every song they want!! And of course eating peperkoeken because that is the favourite Dutch food of @Sabri_KC! 😛 Which Dutch food do you like the most @Piwipete? 🙂

But we can train them of course @Fleurke and @-Kiki- and I know that they will be super Dutchies and can sing every song they want!! And of course eating peperkoeken because that is the favourite Dutch food of @Sabri_KC! 😛 Which Dutch food do you like the most @Piwipete? 🙂

We could make a band as well! Called The Dutchies haha!! 😜🎶

We could make a band as well! Called The Dutchies haha!! 😜🎶

The Dutchies + the Frenchie included in the pack 😭😂

The Dutchies + the Frenchie included in the pack 😭😂

Haha!! 😂😂

Hello everybody!!

Last weekend i completely forgot that the BIGGGGGEST Dutch celebration for children started. It is the time that Sinterklaas came with the steam boat from Spain to The Netherlands. And he has helpers (Pieten) and they give special candies (pepernoten) and other sweets to children. And on 5 December it is his birthday and children get several presents. Before that day they can put their shoe at a fire place or at a window and in the evening they get a chocolate letter (of the first letter of their name) or small gifts.

Every evening their is Sinterklaas News on the News tv channel. And these are normal Sinterklaas songs that EVERYBODY can sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqSjtTGeFtY That list is with the old Sinterklaas songs and this is with a newer song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3dYQ9c9htA

If you have questions you can ask me below! 🙂

Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas with Pieten

Sinterklaas with Pieten

Steamboat with presents and Sinterklaas and the Pieten

Pepernoten and other sweets and candies

Sinterklaas and his horse Ozosnel

Chocolate letter for example S of Sinterklaas but it is the first letter of your name in milk chocolate or pure or hazelnut chocolate