But, in the Netherlands, November 11 is Party Time! It is the beginning of one of the world’s longest Carnival festivals, the Roman Catholic celebration usually held just prior to Lent. Apparently in the Netherlands, the Dutch believe it’s never too early to start partying.
We found out all this strictly by accident. To take advantage of this day off from work (and despite the fact I was fighting jet lag from my trip to LA), the girls wanted to get out of the house and go do some sightseeing. We decided to visit the nearby town of Maastricht, just over the Belgian/Dutch border. Approximately an hour’s drive from Tervuren, we headed out to the town centre and arrived just after lunch time.
What we found was a huge crowd of people, gathered around a small square filled with food booths, games, a stage with live entertainment and plenty of alcohol! It was quite a pleasant surprise for us all.
The people we met there were all very friendly and eager to help explain to us the meaning of the Carnival season in the Netherlands. No doubt they noticed the look on our faces as the crowds of costumed party goers sang songs, drank beer and celebrated the start of this long Carnival event – scheduled to continue on through til the grand finale event in February!
Maybe we'll have to come back again for that...
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