Dutch birthday celebrations have specific customs that can surprise outsiders. The birthday person (de jarige) is expected to bring their own cake or treats to share at work and with friends — rather than receiving them. At birthday parties, guests typically congratulate not just the birthday person but all their family members present: “Van harte gefeliciteerd met je moeder!” (Congratulations on your mother! — said to a sibling at the birthday party). This practice baffles many non-Dutch people encountering it for the first time.
Birthday vocabulary: de verjaardag (birthday), gefeliciteerd! (congratulations!), van harte gefeliciteerd (heartfelt congratulations), de jarige (the birthday person — also de jarige job in a fixed expression), de taart (cake), het feestje (the party — diminutive, even for adult parties), een cadeautje (a present — often in diminutive), de kaars (candle), blazen (to blow out candles), een wens doen (to make a wish).
Birthday songs: Lang zal ze/hij leven (Long may she/he live — the most common Dutch birthday song, sung three times), followed often by hieperdepiep hoera! (hip hip hooray!). Happy Birthday to You in English is also commonly sung or used alongside the Dutch version. The Dutch birthday circle (verjaardagscirkel) — where guests sit in a circle at a party and make conversation in a slightly formal way — is another custom that has its own social dynamics worth understanding before attending your first Dutch birthday party.