Carnival (carnaval) in the southern Dutch provinces of Noord-Brabant and Limburg is one of the most exuberant celebrations in the Netherlands — and one of the least known to outsiders. The tradition is Catholic in origin and contrasts sharply with the predominantly Protestant north of the Netherlands (where carnival is much less celebrated). The three days before Ash Wednesday — Carnaval — see entire cities in costumes, parades, traditional music, and non-stop celebration in cafés and on streets.
Carnival in Brabant: the cities of Den Bosch (carnival name: Oeteldonk), Breda (Kielegat), and Bergen op Zoom (Krabbegat) each adopt a fictional carnival name and identity for the three days. The carnavalsoptocht (carnival parade) with enormous floats and themed groups is the centerpiece. Traditional carnival music — carnavalsliedjes — includes folk songs and drinking songs that everyone knows. The prince of carnival (de carnavalsvorst) rules for three days.
Carnival vocabulary: het kostuum (costume), het masker (mask), de optocht (parade), de prul (carnival trinket), de polonaise (a chain dance done at carnival), de blaaskapel (brass band), feesten (to party/celebrate), uitbundig (exuberant). Understanding that carnival exists in the Netherlands at all — and that it is a major three-day event in the south — is itself cultural knowledge that resonates immediately with people from Brabant and Limburg, for whom carnival is one of the most important events of the year.