surprise

nl-noun

surprise f (plural surprises, diminutive surprisetje n)

surprises (plural)
surprisetje (diminutive neuter)

(Netherlands) a gift wrapped in an ingenious or creative manner; often given anonymously during Sinterklaas celebrations in a similar way to secret Santa


nacht

nacht m (plural nachten, diminutive nachtje n)

nachten (plural)
nachtje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: nag

Jersey Dutch: nāxt

Negerhollands: nacht, nagt

From Middle Dutch nacht, from Old Dutch naht, from Proto-Germanic *nahts, from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts.

Het was een stille nacht met alleen het geluid van krekels.

It was a quiet night with only the sound of crickets.

Tijdens de nacht kan het erg koud worden in de woestijn.

During the night, it can get very cold in the desert.

Ze werkt vaak late nachten om haar projecten af te maken.

She often works late into the night to finish her projects.


Sint

Sint m (plural Sinten, diminutive Sintje n)

Sinten (plural)
Sintje (diminutive neuter)


ochtend

ochtend m (plural ochtenden, diminutive ochtendje n)

ochtenden (plural)
ochtendje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: oggend

Jersey Dutch: óxtent

From Middle Dutch ochtent, earlier ochte, from Old Dutch *ūhto, from Proto-Germanic *unhtwǭ. Compare regional German Uchte, Old English ūhta.


middag

middag m (plural middagen, diminutive middagje n)

middagen (plural)
middagje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: middag

Jersey Dutch: míddāx

Negerhollands: middag, meddag

→ Lokono: méndaka

From Middle Dutch middach. Equivalent to mid- + dag.

Ik eet meestal rond middag.

De zon staat hoog aan de hemel rond middag.

De klokken luiden elke middag.


Kerstmis

Afrikaans: Kersmis

Negerhollands: Christmes

From Middle Dutch kersmisse. Equivalent to Kerst (“Christ”) + mis (“mass”).


Pinksteren

Negerhollands: pinstu

→ Lokono: Pinkstdaka

→ English: Pinkster

→ Papiamentu: pinkster (dated)

From Middle Dutch pinxteren, from pinxter, ultimately from Latin pentecoste, from Ancient Greek πεντηκοστή (pentēkostḗ).


Pasen

Negerhollands: paes, pascha, paska

→ Virgin Islands Creole: paska (dated)

From Middle Dutch paschen, paesschen, the plural of pasch, paesch, from Latin pascha, from Ancient Greek πάσχα (páskha, “Passover”), from Aramaic פסחא (paskha), from Hebrew פסח (pésakh). The word was spread in the West and North Germanic languages from the diocese of Cologne, where it still lingers in the compound Central Franconian Pooschdaach (“Easter Sunday”). Compare Old Saxon pāscha, Old Norse páskar.

cog

Easter, the major Christian feast commemorating the Resurrection of Christ.

als Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen


Feest van de Arbeid

Labor Day (on the first of May). Literally, "Festival of Labor".


zonsondergang

nl-noun

zonsondergang m (plural zonsondergangen, diminutive zonsondergangetje n)

zonsondergangen (plural)
zonsondergangetje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: sonsondergang

From Middle Dutch sonne-onderganc. Equivalent to zon + -s- + ondergang.


zonsopkomst

zonsopkomst f (plural zonsopkomsten, diminutive zonsopkomstje n)

zonsopkomsten (plural)
zonsopkomstje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: sonsopkoms

We stonden vroeg op om de zonsopkomst te zien.

De kleuren van de zonsopkomst waren adembenemend.

The colors of the sunrise were breathtaking.

Elke zonsopkomst op het strand is uniek.


Goede Vrijdag

Negerhollands: goeie fridag


zonnewende

zonnewende f (plural zonnewenden or zonnewendes)

zonnewenden (plural)
zonnewendes (plural)


middernacht

middernacht m (plural middernachten, diminutive middernachtje n)

middernachten (plural)
middernachtje (diminutive neuter)

desc

Negerhollands: middernacht, midnat, medlat, middernagt

→ Virgin Islands Creole: midnat (dated)

From Middle Dutch middernacht, variant of middenacht. The form middernacht originated as a dative in expressions like te(r) midder nacht (“at midnight”).

Het feest begon om 20:00 uur en eindigde om middernacht.

The party started at 8:00 pm and ended at midnight.

Ze wachtte tot middernacht om hem te verrassen met zijn verjaardagscadeau.

She waited until midnight to surprise him with his birthday gift.


kerstman

nl-noun

kerstman m (plural kerstmannen, diminutive kerstmannetje n)

kerstmannen (plural)
kerstmannetje (diminutive neuter)


marsepein

marsepein m (plural marsepeinen, diminutive marsepeintje n)

marsepeinen (plural)
marsepeintje (diminutive neuter)

marzipan (sweet confection made of almond paste, sugar and egg white); a portion of it


paasei

paasei n (plural paaseieren, diminutive paaseitje n)

paaseieren (plural)
paaseitje (diminutive neuter)

Compound of Pasen (“Easter”) + ei (“egg”).

Easter egg (egg-shaped chocolate confection)


dageraad

dageraad m (plural dageraden, diminutive dageraadje n)

dageraden (plural)
dageraadje (diminutive neuter)

From Middle Dutch dageraet. The further etymology is unknown, and is not related to raad (“advice”). Cognates are found in Old High German tagarōt, Old English dæġrēd; suggesting a link to rood (“red”).


kerstfeest

kerstfeest n (plural kerstfeesten, diminutive kerstfeestje n)

kerstfeesten (plural)
kerstfeestje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: Kersfees


wekker

wekker m (plural wekkers, diminutive wekkertje n)

wekkers (plural)
wekkertje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: wekker

→ Caribbean Javanese: bèker

→ Indonesian: beker

From Middle Dutch wecker. Equivalent to wekken + -er.


naamdag

naamdag m (plural naamdagen, diminutive naamdagje n)

naamdagen (plural)
naamdagje (diminutive neuter)


kerstavond

kerstavond m (plural kerstavonden, diminutive kerstavondje n)

kerstavonden (plural)
kerstavondje (diminutive neuter)

Christmas Eve (evening before Christmas Day)


namiddag

namiddag m (plural namiddagen, diminutive namiddagje n)

namiddagen (plural)
namiddagje (diminutive neuter)

Jersey Dutch: nāmeddix

From na- (“after”) + middag (“midday, noon”). Compare German Nachmittag.

In België is het warmer in de namiddag.

In Belgium, it's warmer in the afternoon.

Ik heb een afspraak in de namiddag.

Kinderen spelen buiten in de namiddag.

(Belgium) afternoon, between 12 and 6 o'clock

In Nederland wordt de namiddag als de late namiddag beschouwd.

In the Netherlands, the late afternoon is considered as the namiddag.

Het licht is zachter in de namiddag.

The light is softer in the late afternoon.

Veel mensen gaan wandelen in de namiddag.

Many people go for a walk in the late afternoon.

(Netherlands) late afternoon, between 4 and 6 o'clock


voormiddag

voormiddag m (plural voormiddagen, diminutive voormiddagje n)

voormiddagen (plural)
voormiddagje (diminutive neuter)

Negerhollands: voor middag

From voor (“before”) + middag (“midday, noon”).

compound

Ik heb een vergadering op dinsdag voormiddag.

I have a meeting on Tuesday late morning.

De winkels zijn open op zaterdag voormiddag.

The shops are open on Saturday late morning.

Het beste moment om te joggen is in de voormiddag.

The best time to jog is in the late morning.

(Belgium) late morning, part of the day before noon (before the 12th hour of the day)

We zullen lunchen rond voormiddag.

De zon is het sterkst rond voormiddag.

Ik neem meestal een korte pauze rond voormiddag.

I usually take a short break around midday.

(The Netherlands) midday, early afternoon (around the 12th to the 14th hour in the afternoon)


Koninginnedag

nl-noun

Koninginnedag m (plural Koninginnedagen, diminutive Koninginnedagje n)

Koninginnedagen (plural)
Koninginnedagje (diminutive neuter)

/koːnɪˈŋɪnəˌdɑx/

From koningin (“queen”) + -e- + dag (“day”), thus “Queen's Day”.

A former national holiday in the Netherlands, occurring on April 30th (or April 29th, if it would otherwise fall on a Sunday) as an official celebration of its current queen's birthday.


uurglas

Afrikaans: uurglas

Compound of uur (“hour”) + glas (“glass”).


zandloper

zandloper m (plural zandlopers, diminutive zandlopertje n)

zandlopers (plural)
zandlopertje (diminutive neuter)

From zand (“sand”) + loper (“walker, runner”).


kerstboom

nl-noun

kerstboom m (plural kerstbomen, diminutive kerstboompje n)

kerstbomen (plural)
kerstboompje (diminutive neuter)

→ Papiamentu: kèrstbom

A Christmas tree, a decorated tree set up during the Christmas holiday season.


siderisch jaar

siderisch jaar n (plural siderische jaren)


kerstbal

kerstbal m (plural kerstballen, diminutive kerstballetje n)

kerstballen (plural)
kerstballetje (diminutive neuter)

A bauble (spherical decoration) used as Christmas decoration, especially in Christmas trees.


kerstlied

kerstlied n (plural kerstliederen, diminutive kerstliedje n)

kerstliederen (plural)
kerstliedje (diminutive neuter)

A Christmas song, such as a Christmas carol, Christmas hymn or pop song.


Sinterklaas

→ English: Santa Claus

→? Saterland Frisian: Sunderkloas

The holiday dedicated to Saint Nicholas.


Sint-Nicolaas

Saint Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of Amsterdam and of children


oudejaarsavond

oudejaarsavond m (plural oudejaarsavonden, diminutive oudejaarsavondje n)

oudejaarsavonden (plural)
oudejaarsavondje (diminutive neuter)


Nieuwjaar

Negerhollands: nieuwe jaar

→ Munsee: niwuyaal


Zwarte Piet

1984, Het Goede Doel (Henk Westbroek and Henk Temming), Sinterklaas (song)

I make a kind of joke about Black Pete’s sack, but the Saint is apparently too busy then, because I don't get an answer.

Ik maak een soort van grapje over de zak van Zwarte Piet, maar Sint heeft het dan blijkbaar druk want antwoord krijg ik niet.

Black Peter, the companion of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas)


paashaas

paashaas m (plural paashazen, diminutive paashaasje n)

paashazen (plural)
paashaasje (diminutive neuter)

From Pasen + haas, calque of German Osterhase.


paasdag

paasdag m (plural paasdagen, diminutive paasdagje n)

paasdagen (plural)
paasdagje (diminutive neuter)

eerste paasdag: Easter Sunday

tweede paasdag: Easter Monday


paasfeest

paasfeest n (plural paasfeesten, diminutive paasfeestje n)

paasfeesten (plural)
paasfeestje (diminutive neuter)

Compound of Pasen (“Easter”) + feest (“feast”).


Bevrijdingsdag

Liberation Day, i.e. VE Day (Victory in Europe day): celebrated as a holiday on May 5th in the Netherlands


lentenachtevening

lentenachtevening f (plural lentenachteveningen)


herfstnachtevening

herfstnachtevening f (plural herfstnachteveningen)


winterzonnewende

winterzonnewende f (plural winterzonnewenden or winterzonnewendes)

winterzonnewenden (plural)
winterzonnewendes (plural)


dag-en-nachtevening

dag-en-nachtevening f (plural dag-en-nachteveningen)


zomerzonnewende

zomerzonnewende f (plural zomerzonnewenden or zomerzonnewendes)

zomerzonnewenden (plural)
zomerzonnewendes (plural)


kerstkaart

kerstkaart f (plural kerstkaarten, diminutive kerstkaartje n)

kerstkaarten (plural)
kerstkaartje (diminutive neuter)


sinterklaasavond

sinterklaasavond m (plural sinterklaasavonden, diminutive sinterklaasavondje n)

sinterklaasavonden (plural)
sinterklaasavondje (diminutive neuter)

The evening with presents, which is on the day of Sinterklaas, 6 December (in Belgium) or the day before (in the Netherlands).


sinterklaaslied

sinterklaaslied n (plural sinterklaasliederen, diminutive sinterklaasliedje n)

sinterklaasliederen (plural)
sinterklaasliedje (diminutive neuter)


kerstcadeau

kerstcadeau n (plural kerstcadeaus, diminutive kerstcadeautje n)

kerstcadeaus (plural)
kerstcadeautje (diminutive neuter)


hulpsinterklaas

hulpsinterklaas m (plural hulpsinterklazen, diminutive hulpsinterklaasje n)

hulpsinterklazen (plural)
hulpsinterklaasje (diminutive neuter)

A helper Sinterklaas, named to explain the fact that Sinterklaas can be at more than one place at the same time.


strooigoed

A mixture of confectionery that is often strewn around rooms during Sinterklaas celebrations, for children to pick up. The main ingredient is typically kruidnoten.


taaitaai

taaitaai m (plural taaitaaien, diminutive taaitaaitje n)

taaitaaien (plural)
taaitaaitje (diminutive neuter)

From taai + taai, meaning "tough-tough" because of the difficulty of biting through them.

taaitaai, a kind of soft and tough dough biscuit eaten during Sinterklaas celebrations.


chocoladeletter

chocoladeletter f (plural chocoladeletters, diminutive chocoladelettertje n)

chocoladeletters (plural)
chocoladelettertje (diminutive neuter)

A letter of the alphabet, made of chocolate. Commonly eaten during Sinterklaas celebrations.


kruidnoot

kruidnoot f (plural kruidnoten, diminutive kruidnootje n)

kruidnoten (plural)
kruidnootje (diminutive neuter)


speculaas

speculaas n (plural speculazen, diminutive speculaasje n)

speculazen (plural)
speculaasje (diminutive neuter)

From earlier speculatie, via the intermediate form speculasie, which was interpreted as a diminutive and the modern form was back-formed from it.


pepernoot

pepernoot f (plural pepernoten, diminutive pepernootje n)

pepernoten (plural)
pepernootje (diminutive neuter)

From peper + noot. Compare German Pfeffernuss, whence English pfeffernusse.


adventskalender

adventskalender m (plural adventskalenders, diminutive adventskalendertje n)

adventskalenders (plural)
adventskalendertje (diminutive neuter)


goedheiligman

goedheiligman m (plural goedheiligmannen, diminutive goedheiligmannetje n)

goedheiligmannen (plural)
goedheiligmannetje (diminutive neuter)

From goed (“good”) + heilig (“holy”) + man (“man”).


pakjesavond

nl-noun

pakjesavond m (plural pakjesavonden, diminutive pakjesavondje n)

pakjesavonden (plural)
pakjesavondje (diminutive neuter)

(Netherlands) The evening before 5 December, when Sinterklaas brings presents to children (in Belgium the gift-giving is the morning after).


schoen zetten

(intransitive) to put out one's shoe, traditionally at the fireplace, so that Sinterklaas can leave treats in it


Oud en Nieuw

Vanaf 1978 organiseerde ik deze cursussen voor jongeren op grotere schaal, met Pasen en Pinksteren, in de zomervakantie en met Oud en Nieuw.

2004, Anselm Grün, De stille weg, Lannoo Uitgeverij, page 58

From 1978 onwards I organised these courses for adolescents on a larger scale, at Easter and Pentecost, in the summer holidays and at New Year.

The celebrations around New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.


ochtendschemering

ochtendschemering f (plural ochtendschemeringen, diminutive ochtendschemeringetje n)

ochtendschemeringen (plural)
ochtendschemeringetje (diminutive neuter)


dagdeel

dagdeel n (plural dagdelen, diminutive dagdeeltje n)

dagdelen (plural)
dagdeeltje (diminutive neuter)


avondschemering

avondschemering f (plural avondschemeringen, diminutive avondschemeringetje n)

avondschemeringen (plural)
avondschemeringetje (diminutive neuter)

De straatlichten gingen aan bij avondschemering.

In de avondschemering lijkt de stad te kalmeren.

In the evening twilight, the city seems to calm down.

Veel dieren worden actief tijdens de avondschemering.

Many animals become active during the dusk.


radioklok

radioklok f (plural radioklokken, diminutive radioklokje n)

radioklokken (plural)
radioklokje (diminutive neuter)


atoomklok

atoomklok f (plural atoomklokken, diminutive atoomklokje n)

atoomklokken (plural)
atoomklokje (diminutive neuter)


Suikerfeest

First attested in the early 20th century. From suiker (“sugar”) + feest (“feast, party, celebration”), loan translation of Turkish Şeker Bayramı.

compound

Eid al-Fitr; the religious celebration at the end of Ramadan, on the first day of the tenth month of the Muslim lunar calendar.


achtermiddag

nl-noun

achtermiddag m (plural achtermiddagen, diminutive achtermiddagje n)

achtermiddagen (plural)
achtermiddagje (diminutive neuter)

Jersey Dutch: āxterméddix

Negerhollands: astermiddag, astumenda

(dialectal, literary, Netherlands) late afternoon

(archaic, Belgium) afternoon (period between noon and 6 PM)


ochtendstond

ochtendstond m or f (plural ochtendstonden)


paasvuur

paasvuur n (plural paasvuren, diminutive paasvuurtje n)

paasvuren (plural)
paasvuurtje (diminutive neuter)


paasbaken

Compound of Pasen + baken. Probably from a Dutch Low Saxon term like paasboake.


Koningsdag

Koningsdag m (plural Koningsdagen, diminutive Koningsdagje n)

Koningsdagen (plural)
Koningsdagje (diminutive neuter)

From koning (“king”) + -s- + dag (“day”), thus “King's Day”.

A national holiday in the Netherlands, occurring on April 27th (or April 26th, if it would otherwise fall on a Sunday) as an official celebration of its current king's birthday.


paastak

Easter branch (branch of a shrub decorated with Easter-related ornaments)


nieuwjaarsnacht

nieuwjaarsnacht m (plural nieuwjaarsnachten)

New Year's Eve (night from 31 December to 1 January)


Maanfeest

Maan + feest, a calque of French fête de la lune.


kalenderjaar

Een kalenderjaar bestaat uit 12 maanden.

Het kalenderjaar begint op 1 januari.

The calendar year starts on January 1st.

Ze werkten het hele kalenderjaar aan het project.

They worked on the project for the entire calendar year.


Vreugde der Wet

Calque of Hebrew שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה (simkhát torá).

cal

שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה


lichtfeest

nl-noun

lichtfeest n (plural lichtfeesten, diminutive lichtfeestje n)

lichtfeesten (plural)
lichtfeestje (diminutive neuter)

From licht (“light”) + feest (“festival, holiday”).

compound

A festival or holiday of light, such as Sint-Maarten, Diwali or Hanukkah.


Channeke

From Yiddish חנוכּה (khaneke), from Hebrew חֲנֻכָּה (chanuká).

(Judaism) Synonym of Chanoeka (“Hanukkah”)


Chanoeklaas

Blend of Chanoeka + Sinterklaas. A similar formation can be found in English Chrismukkah, a merger of Hanukkah and Christmas, and similarly German Weihnukka. (Whereas in many Western countries presents are typically given on Christmas, the Dutch do so on Sinterklaas, yielding this merger of Hanukkah with Sinterklaas instead of with Christmas (Kerst).)

(Judaism) A fusion of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and the Dutch Christian holiday Sinterklaas, as practised by some Dutch Jews.


Sinterkerst

(informal) Sinterklaas and Christmas, treated as a single holiday.