It's almost Thanksgiving but since I live in The Netherlands and it is an American holiday, no one is celebrating it. Luckily there are lots of other traditions that the Dutch have that I can be a part of, although I'm still going to miss eating pumpkin pie!
The company Koninklijk Philips (Royal Philips), which is known just as "Philips" in the U.S., is a lightbulb company founded in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Every year from November 10th to 17th Philips helps fund an event called "Eindhoven Glow", which is a free walking parade filled with light shows. The Glow event starts near the central train station and wanders throughout the city.
While traveling to Eindhoven for the Glow parade I also came across a large Christmas festival happening in their town square, so I this week learn about both the Glow festival as well as the traditional Dutch Christmas festival! The Dutch have several traditions surrounding Christmas. They call Santa Claus "Sinterklaas" and each city celebrates Sinterklaas with a big outdoor celebration filled with lots of delicious sweet treats. In addition to attending the Sinterklaas festival, the Dutch buy specific snacks for one another during the Christmas season.
