Halloween in Holland

(This information borrowed from The Blauvelt News written by Kristine Brower)

Slow news weeks. No posts because I've been lazy and haven't set aside the time to do the research I want to on the topics I want. But, did find this neat quick article about Halloween in Holland.

Saint Martin's Day, November 11th, is a celebration in Holland similar to 'trick-or-treat' as we know it. People in Holland go around receiving treats by ringing on doorbells and signing songs for which they are given sweets or tangerines for their efforts. They travel with lanterns singing songs similar to this.

Elf November is de dag,
Dat mijn lichtje,
Dat mijn lichtje.
Elf November is de dag,
Dat mijn lichtje branden mag.

(Thanks to Google Translate)
Eleventh of November is the day,
That my light,
That my light.
Eleventh of November is the day,
That my light may burn.

Why do the Dutch celebrate Sint Maarten (Saint Martin)?
One dark and stormy night, Martin was alone. He only had a cloak and one piece of bread. He was returning home when suddenly a poor homeless man appeared. Martin felt pity for the man so he gave him half of his bread, half of his cloak, and offered him hospitality in his home. Since then, Martin became known as Saint Martin and is known for his kindness to the stranger.

Comments

Ohhh the red, white, and blue

If you were given the job of creating a flag to represent your country, how would you design it? Myself, I would probably think of some symbols of your country then hand over the design portion to an artist, with the plan of choosing colors that aptly represent where you live. What have most countries of the world done? Three bars filled in with color. Lets talk about the Netherlands flag. This "orange" country has a drab flag, but not only is it drab it's deceiving. So many countries use red, white, and blue that it is confusing. + A little sun bleaching, Luxembourg +Sea sickness France + Dyslexia , Russia ...

Holland is just a step away

When life gives you lemons make green tea lemonade. So, when one lives in the midwest why not make the best of it and explore the sites in this area? You don't need a lot of money or even a passport. That brings us to Holland, Michigan a Dutch settlement in America. Obviously the city is very proud of its Dutch heritage, as shown in the klompen picture at the top. Klompen is the name of the Dutch wooden clog dance. There are many dutch settlements in Michigan but what makes Holland so distinctly Dutch are its two festivals: the tulip time festival in the spring and the winter festival. The tulip festival is held in mid-May and lasts for 8 days. The festival includes tours at the local windmills, tulip farms, local dutch houses, as well as dances, concerts, street scrubing, and a dutch marketplace. One interesting thing about the Dutch costumes that are presented during the festival is that they are from the 8 out of 12 different provinces of the Netherlands. Here is...

de Vries, Hans de Vries. Almost.

In 1967 THE James Bond (Sean Connery) decided to step away from the world of James Bond films. EOS studios thus had to find a replacement. It came down to 5 men. 2 Brits, an American, a Australian, and a Dutchman. John Richardson, Anthony Rogers, Robert Campbell, George Lazenby, and Hans de Vries. None of those names ring a bell? George Lazenby won the part for the 6th Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. A movie that has been lauded both as the worst and one of the best Bond films in the franchise. If you haven't seen it, you should. It was the Bond film that 'Breaks the Fourth Wall', Bond gets married, wears a kilt, and goes skiing. But the reason for this post is instead of this; (Yes, THAT is James Bond) We could of had this. Improvement? Probably not. He looks a wee bit angry. Plus, no one watches OHMSS anyway. So, did de Vries have a movie career after Bond? Ha, no. The only notable movie rolls I can find for him were pre bond. And that was ...

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