New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands (Oud en Nieuw) is a boisterous, sometimes chaotic, and distinctly Dutch affair. Fireworks (vuurwerk) — purchased privately and set off by individuals in the street — are a central feature, and the noise level on the night of December 31st can be extraordinary. This tradition is controversial and debated annually, as injuries and fires are frequent — but the tradition persists because of its deeply social and communal character.
New Year’s Eve traditions: oliebollen (deep-fried doughnut balls with raisins, dusted with powdered sugar — sold from special carts from December onwards), appelflappen (apple fritters — similar), champagne ontkurken (opening champagne), aftellen (counting down — tien, negen, acht… één, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!), vuurwerk afsteken (setting off fireworks), oudejaarsconferencie (a traditional end-of-year comedy cabaret show broadcast on television).
New Year’s Day (Nieuwjaarsdag) is marked by the Nieuwjaarsduik — a mass plunge into the freezing North Sea at Scheveningen (the beach near The Hague) and other locations. Tens of thousands of Dutch people run into the sea on January 1st — an act of collective joyful madness that attracts media coverage worldwide. New Year greetings: “Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!” (Happy New Year!), “Een voorspoedig nieuwjaar gewenst” (Wishing you a prosperous new year — more formal), “Goed Oud en Nieuw!” (Have a good New Year — said before the event).