Alaaf! The language of Dutch Carnival
What happens during Carnival?
- Prince Carnival is the boss of the town or village during Carnival. On Saturday, he receives the key to the city or village from the mayor.
- There are parades with floats and often address current themes or are timelessly funny.
- People dress up and go to the city. In some places, it is common to dress as a character from head to toe, while in other places like Den Bosch, you will fit in best with a jacket and scarf in the local Carnival colours.
- Carnival music is played everywhere and people follow each other around in conga lines.
- Tuesday is the last day of Carnival. The day after that is Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the fasting period.
Dialect and specific Carnival language
| Alaaf | a Carnival greeting used in a lot of places, although in some places saying alaaf is just 'not done' |
| Dweilen | the tour of brass bands along all kinds of pubs |
| Tonpraten | people dressed up as personages talking about topical and often local themes. There are even tonpraten championships (in Brabant: tonproaten) |
| Polonaise | dancing in a congo line |
| Hossen | dancing and jumping with arms slung over each other’s shoulders |
Dutch carnival music
If you want to get in the Carnival spirit and work on your Dutch, listen to these Carnival golden oldies!
- Er staat een paard in de gang (There’s a horse in the hall)
- ’s Nachts na tweeën (After two in the morning)
- Zak es lekker door (Drink up)
- Het feest kan beginnen (The party can start)
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The language of Brazil’s carnival
Every year, Carnival explodes onto the scene in Brazil. It officially runs from Sunday to Tuesday, but a lot of partying also happens in the months leading up to Carnival, like at the so-called blocos, street parties in the different neighbourhoods. If you go to Brazil during Carnival, our word list may come in handy.
A carnevale ogni scherzo vale
During Carnival every joke counts. That is the literal translation of the Italian saying ‘A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale’. It means that it’s allowed to play a fun practical joke on someone during the Carnival season. Every European country has its own Carnival traditions and, just as every Italian region has its own culinary speciality, so does it also celebrate Carnival in its own unique way!
Learn Dutch: why would you?
Many expats who live and work in the Netherlands think it’s not really necessary to learn Dutch. English is the lingua franca at many large companies and when it isn’t, Dutch colleagues will quickly switch to English to accommodate those who don’t speak their language. The Dutch really enjoy speaking English. You can even get by using only English in your free time. So why should you bother learning Dutch? We’d like to give you three solid reasons for doing so.