According to folklore, the skin of Zwarte Piet is colored by soot from going down chimneys to bringing presents into people’s houses. Those portraying Zwarte Piet usually put on blackface and colourful Renaissance attire in addition to curly wigs and bright red lipstick.

In fact many paintings depicting every-day scenes show women wearing colourful clothes. Black was one of the most expensive dyes at the time and so wearing black when you are having your portrait painted was a matter of putting on your Sunday best.

But what many people don’t know is that Santa Claus actually originates from the Dutch version of the old man that brings presents, Sinterklaas.

In the Netherlands, people celebrate Christmas both on the 25th and the 26th of December. During Dutch Christmas people spend two days with their family, playing games, watching movies and eating some traditional Christmas food. As a matter of fact, to some international students this might seem strange.

Black Pete (“Zwarte Piet”) has been a fixture in Netherlands celebrations for centuries. The black-faced helper, who hands out presents for the white “Sinterklaas” (St Nicholas) — the Dutch version of Santa Claus — has ignited a vehement storm.

Zalig Kerstfeest

A typical Dutch dinner meal consists of potatoes, meat and vegetables, served with gravy. Dinner is often followed by a dessert in the form of yogurt or coffee. Food which isn’t typically Dutch, but which is ‘seen’ as Dutch are dishes like nasi (Indonesian dish) and bami (Chinese dish).

Haring or ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’ (Dutch new herring) is probably the most famous Dutch food.

There is a piece of history you should learn, so let’s get right into it. Dutch food is bad because the Netherlands was a colonizer for ages and they adopted other cultures cuisines. In Amsterdam live 180 different nationalities and in the Netherlands, there are people from almost 200 different countries.

Amsterdam’s coat of arms is pretty prevalent sight throughout the city. At its core is the ‘XXX’ symbol, which is actually three vertical St. Andrew’s Crosses, not (as some people assume) shorthand for the Red Light District.

The three Xs (XXX) are actually the three Saint Andrew’s crosses. St. Andrew was a fisherman who was martyred on an X-shaped cross in the 1st century AD, which is relevant to Amsterdam as the city’s symbol dates back to 1505 when it was a fishing town and all ships registered in Amsterdam flew this flag.

Amsterdam is one of the best-known cities in the world – but what are people from Amsterdam called? The correct term is Amsterdammers in both Dutch and English but people from the city are sometimes referred to as Mokumers.

Houses painted black were historically a communication device indicating plague was known to be at the residence. Amsterdam.

Then there’s the Dutch diet: people in the Netherlands have a voracious appetite for dairy, and studies suggest this has contributed to their increased height. “Calcium builds bone and growth is dependent on having a good supply of that,” Barrett explained.

Initially the migration of entire peasant families to towns, the hiring of farmers’ daughters as housemaids, and the exceptionally high consumption of dairy products continued to encourage the habit of regular cleaning in urban households.

Dutch breakfast can vary. Most common are bread slices with sweet or savoury spreads, as well as muesli and yogurt. Dairies such as cheeses, milk and eggs often play a role in the first meal of the day in the Netherlands.

There are many drinks that can be described as typically Dutch, the best-known being beer and jenever, hugely popular both in the Netherlands and abroad. In bars across the country, and at events and festivals, beer is a popular choice and if you ask, you are likely to find jenever too!

The Dutch language is part of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, just like English. This means that the two languages share the same roots and have similar characteristics, making it easier for Dutch speakers to learn English.

The Netherlands is a trading country: It brings in millions of euros in revenue each year, this makes it very important for the Dutch economy. The Netherlands earns the most money from exporting products such as machinery, chemicals, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, pears, tulips, Gouda cheese, and many more.

38 billionaires

The highest paid Netherlands are Executive Management & Change professionals at $103,000 annually. The lowest paid Netherlands are Services, Tourism & Hospitality professionals at $22,000.

Industrial activity is dominated by the machinery, electronics/high tech industry, metalworking, oil refining, chemical, and food-processing industries. Construction amounts to about 6% of GDP. Agriculture and fishing, although visible and traditional Dutch activities, account for just 2%.

The Netherlands has one of the strongest economies in the world. For such a small country this is quite a feat. There are many factors that contribute to making the Dutch economy thrive. It has a wide variety of economic sectors that contribute to its strength and global reputation.

The Netherlands has the fifth lowest at-risk-of-poverty rate: 13.2 percent. This is well below the EU average of 16.9 percent. Poverty thresholds are determined per country and depend on the country’s level of prosperity.

By revenue from the export of agricultural goods, the Netherlands takes the first place in Europe and second in the world only to the United States. The combination of fertile soils, mild humid climate and high degree of mechanization is a very good basis for the development of the sector.