Interesting Holland!

Why is the difference between “Holland” and “The Netherlands”? Why are they called “Dutch”?

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated and geographically low-lying countries in the world (its name literally means "low (Neder) countries (land)") and is popularly known for its windmills, clogs (wooden shoes), tulips, dikes, bicycles and social tolerance. Its liberal policies receive international attention, such as those concerning drugs, prostitution and euthanasia. The country is host to the International Court of Justice. In English, '(the) Netherlands' is the official name of the European part of the 'Kingdom of the Netherlands'. 'Holland' is commonly used as a synonym for the Netherlands, but the word Holland derives from a district in the west of the country that currently make up two of the twelve provinces, namely North Holland and South Holland. The country's people and language are called 'Dutch'. 'Netherlanders' can be used for the people and 'Netherlandic' or 'Netherlands' as adjectives, but they are uncommon. In most languages, the name for the country literally means 'low lands' or is a transliteration of 'Nederland' or 'Holland'. The name "Holland", or derivations of it, is commonly used for the Netherlands both in Dutch and in most other languages and can even be the official name of the country, e.g. Hoolanda (Arabic) and Oranda (Japanese). Strictly speaking, though, 'Holland' is the name of a region within the Netherlands, which was the economic powerhouse during the time of the United Provinces (1581-1795). Using 'Holland' for 'the Netherlands' is thus comparable to the use of 'England' for 'the United Kingdom'. Many Dutch people, especially those from provinces other than North Holland and South Holland, object to the use of the name of 'Holland' for the entire Netherlands. The plural form ("Netherlands") is not commonly used in Dutch anymore, but instead a singular form of de Nederlanden: Nederland. The people are referred to as Nederlanders ("Dutch" in English) and the language is called Nederlands (again, "Dutch" in English). The plural form Nederlanden is mainly used when referring to the entire Kingdom (het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden), which includes the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. The English word "Dutch" is akin to the German word Deutsch and has the same etymological origin. Both these terms derive from what in Germanic was known as theodisca, which meant "(language) of the (common) people". During the early middle ages, it was the elite that mostly used Latin and the common people used their local languages. An older Dutch term for the language of the Netherlands is Diets or Nederdietsch. The official language is Dutch, which is spoken by practically all inhabitants. Another official language is Frisian, which is spoken in the northern province of Friesland and has a strong resemblance to English, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Scotsc. Frisian is co-official only in the province of Friesland, although with a few restrictions. Several dialects of Low German are spoken in much of the north and are recognised by the Netherlands as regional languages according to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. To the south, the Dutch language shifts into other varieties of Low Franconian and German, which may or may not be best classified as Dutch, most notably West Flemish. One of these, Limburgish, which is spoken in the south-eastern province of Limburg has been recognised as a minority language since 1977.

What is the country’s religion?

The country is very multicultural, thus a lot of religion. According to the governmental statistics agency (CBS) 30% of the population consider themselves to be Roman Catholic, 20% Protestant (predominantly Dutch Reformed) and 8% 'other denominations'. 42% consider themselves unaffiliated. Church attendance however is much lower than these figures may suggest: some 70% of the population 'rarely or never' visit a house of worship (be it a church, mosque, synagogue or temple), and even then it is mostly for occasions like weddings and baptisms. Most Protestants live in the northern provinces while the southern provinces, Noord-Brabant and Limburg, are mainly Roman Catholic. (FYI, The royal family is Protestant) The largest part of the 'other denominations', at 920,000, are Muslim immigrant workers mainly living in the bigger cities, mostly from Morocco and Turkey, and their descendants. The other denominations also include some 200,000 (1.3%) Hindu, mostly descendants of indentured servants who migrated from India to the former Dutch colony of Surinam around 1900. Prior to the Holocaust about 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands (earning Amsterdam the acolade 'The Jerusalem of the West'); however, the vast majority of Dutch Jewry were murdered in the Holocaust. The Jewish population of the Netherlands today is estimated between 30,000 and 40,000. The major centre for Jewish life in the Netherlands is Amsterdam, with significant numbers living in Rotterdam and Den Haag (The Hague). There are synagogues in most large towns; most Dutch Jews are Liberal rather than Orthodox in practice.

Holland an open country, co-habitual (partnership) is allowed and homosexual is legal!

On January 1, 1998, registered partnerships (Dutch: geregistreerd partnerschap) were introduced in law in the Netherlands. These were meant for same-sex couples as an alternative to marriage, though they can also be entered into by opposite-sex couples, and in fact about one third of the registered partnerships between 1998 and 2001 were of opposite-sex couples. For the law, registered partnerships and marriage convey the same rights and duties, especially after some laws were changed to remedy inequalities with respect to inheritance and some other issues. The Netherlands has officially allowed same sex marriage since 01 april 2001. Same-sex marriages are fully equivalent to opposite-sex marriages in the Netherlands with one restriction relating to adoption of children. If a married lesbian has a child, her wife will not count as the child's father or mother; unless and until she adopts the child, she will count for the law as a stepmother; on adoption, she will be (the second) mother.

Women’s social status in Holland

There is not much of a difference in status for genders in The Netherlands. House-husband is common here. Women got more or less equal rights.

‘Go Dutch’ means ‘AA Pay’

‘Go Dutch’ means pay individually. One pay for oneself. Dutch people are said to be economical/frugal/thrifty, saving every penny. This stems already from a long time ago when Dutch people were trading a lot overseas. Because a Dutch person is said never to pay anyting more than necessary, he will only pay for his own meal and not that of others

Favorite Sports

Football (Soccer) is definitely the favorite sport!!! You will notice once the Euro Cup or World Cup of Football will start this summer, than the whole of Holland will turn orange, the national color (this is because the royal familiy's name is: from Orange)

Greetings in Holland

Hand shake is the most common form of greeting. It is firm and swift, accompanied by a smile and “hello/good day + your name”. However, close friends and families greet each other by kissing, three times near the cheek, starting from the left cheek. Also, bear in mind that Dutch only use first names with family and close friends. So, always wait until u are invited before u address them with their first name.

Etiquette

If invited to a Dutch home, it is always nice to bring some gifts (say a box of good quality chocolates, a potted plant, book or flowers). Flowers should be in odd numbers but not 13 as it is considered unlucky. Avoid lilies or chrysanthemums as they are associated with funerals. In addition, do not give pointed items such as knives or scissors as they are considered unlucky. Wine is not a good idea as gift when invited for dinner as the host has already selected the wine for dinner. The gifts should be nicely wrapped and they are usually opened when received.