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Special Days and Holidays Greetings

(De) feestdag click to hear holiday
zon- en feestdagen click to hear 2 Sundays and Holidays Kerstmis click to hear (the T is often very soft: click to hear) Christmas (The day Christ was born) Pasen click to hear Easter (When Christ was raised from the dead) Pinksteren click to hear Pentecost, Whitsun (when the Holy Spirit touched the Disciples, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection.)
See also: Religion

In Holland, the second days of the main religious festivals are also holidays, most shops and businesses are closed. (tweede click to hear 2 'second')
Tweede Kerstdag click to hear 2
Tweede Paasdag click to hear 2
Tweede Pinksterdag click to hear 2

Oudejaarsavond click to hear 2 [old year's evening] - new year's eve night Nieuwjaarsdag click to hear 2 New Year's Day Oud en Nieuw click to hear 2 New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the New Year Holiday

Prettige Kerstdagen! click to hear 2 Merry Christmas! - >> Prettige Kerstdagen en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! click to hear 2 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Vrolijk Kerstfeest! click to hear 2 quick Merry Christmas! Zalig Kerstfeest! click to hear 2 Blessed Christmas! (said by Roman Catholics)

Zalig Uiteinde! click to hear 2 Happy Year's End! (jocular and among Catholics) Prettige Jaarwisseling! click to hear 2 3 [Happy Year's Change] Happy New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! click to hear Happy New Year! - Resolutions

Prettige Paasdagen! click to hear Happy Easter! Vrolijk Pasen! click to hear Happy Easter Zalig Pasen! click to hear 2 3 Blessed Easter! (said by Roman Catholics)

Prettige Feestdagen! click to hear 2 Happy Holidays! Ik kijk uit naar de kerstdagen click to hear I'm looking forward to the Christmas [days] holiday Ik kijk uit naar de feestdagen click to hear I'm looking forward to the holidays

[fir tree]
dennenboom click to hear
more trees
[a Christmas tree]
kerstboom click to hear

Special Holidays Treats

Carnaval click to hear 2 'Carnival' - the festivities just before the 'fasting' of Lent Aswoensdag click to hear 2 'Ash Wednesday' De Vasten click to hear 2 3 ['Fasting'] 'Lent' - the 40 days before Easter: moderate consumption Witte Donderdag click to hear 2 White Thursday, the day of the last supper Goede Vrijdag click to hear Good Friday, the day Jesus died on the cross

Hemelvaartsdag click to hear 2 3 Ascension Day, when Jesus went up to heaven, 40 days after Easter Maria Hemelvaart click to hear 2 Mary's Ascension Day

5 Mei click to hear (May 5th) - Bevrijdingsdag click to hear Liberation Day - when the German army surrendered at the end of the Second World War, 1945 May 4th, evening: Dodenherdenking click to hear commemorating those who died in the Second World War

Koningsdag click to hear 2 April 27, the king's (birth)day.
It used to be:
Koninginnedag click to hear 2 "The Queen's Day" (April 30th) - actually the previous queen Juliana's birthday, but the last queen Beatrix's birthday is in Winter, less suitable for open-air festivities.
In the 2013
troonswisseling click to hear ('change of throne') Queen Beatrix was succeeded by her son Willem-Alexander
Willem click to hear Alexander click to hear
Prinsjesdag click to hear 2 [little princes' day] - the third Tuesday in September, when the King or Queen ceremoniously presents the government's budget for the next year.

Sinterklaas click to hear 2 December 5th, when the Dutch Santa Claus gives out presents - >>

(De) verjaardag click to hear birthday
"Hartelijk gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag!" click to hear [Heartfelt congratulations on your birthday] - Happy birthday (informal) ‑>> Gefeliciteerd! click to hear 2 Congratulations! Van harte gefeliciteerd click to hear 2 Congratulations 'from the heart' Hartelijk gefeliciteerd! click to hear Many Congratulations! more Birthday

Do note that Dutch people congratulate  on birthdays, there is no "Gelukkige verjaardag"  or things like "Gelukkige Koningsdag/Moederdag/Vaderdag"  etc. - but next to the congratulations you could write or say in a phone call:
Een prettige dag gewenst click to hear Wishing (you) a nice day or:  Een prettige dag nog click to hear Wishing you an enjoyable day (said when that day has already begun) Een gezellige dag gewenst click to hear 2 3 Wishing (you) a pleasant day in the company of friends and/or relatives

(de) trouwdag click to hear 2 'wedding day' - also: 'wedding anniversary' >>

moederdag click to hear 'Mother's day'
vaderdag click to hear 2 'Father's day'

(De) verjaardag click to hear - the yearly 'birthday.' Literally translated, 'birthday' is 'geboortedag' - a very unusual word in Dutch, only used for that one day in the past that a person came into this world, and only in a sense like in 'Born on the 4th of July.' 'Date of birth' (bureaucratic use, including year) is (de) geboortedatum click to hear 2 ->>
With 'wedding day' it's the other way 'round between Dutch and English: '(de) trouwdag' click to hear 2 is both 'wedding day,' the day of the vows and what English calls 'the Anniversary,' the yearly return of that date.

Referring to activities on the traditional holidays or maybe festive days in general, Dutch often uses 'met' click to hear - but not to indicate a specific day.
Met Oud en Nieuw click to hear On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Wat doe je met Pasen? click to hear 2 3 What are you going to do over the Easter Holiday? Met Kerstmis gingen we naar de nachtmis click to hear At Christmas we went to the midnight mass We gingen naar de nachtmis met Kerstmis click to hear We went to midnight mass at Christmas We gingen met Kerstmis naar de nachtmis click to hear 2 We went to midnight mass at Christmas Met m'n verjaardag blijf ik thuis click to hear 2 3 I'm staying home on my birthday BUT: Ze is op Kerstdag geboren click to hear 2 She was born on Christmas Day

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Gij zult niet stelen click to hear 'Thou shalt not steal'