One of the not often mentioned traditions of the holiday season throughout certain towns in the Netherlands and Belgium, is the burning of the Christmas trees. Each year at the close of the holiday vacation (so around Jan 4th) cities and towns gather up all the thrown away Christmas trees in one particular location, announce a date and time to the public, sometimes they'll make a party out of it, and light the trees on fire.

This tradition actually goes back a long time as a religious ritual revolving around the idea that for some the tree was magical and for others it was important to get rid of them immediately after the holiday. From a more practical approach, it was better to gather them up than to risk the random trees that might be set on fire or otherwise cause problems while waiting to be disposed of.

The burning in Amsterdam was this past weekend. Unfortunately I missed the fun, but AT5 and flickr have some evidence of the event.

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Happy New Year all! Why not start off 2009 with a description of a great place to stay – at Schiphol airport.

Yotel is a relatively new concept that allows passengers to get a good night’s sleep at the airport. Hours between transfers can now be spent in comfort – and if you’re too lazy to get up at 4am for that early-morning flight, you can even stay over the night before.

Yotel’s décor is contemporary and the sleeping arrangements luxurious. Best of all? Standard cabins start at EUR 35 for four hours and EUR 70 for an overnight. Quick, tell all those people sleeping on chairs in the waiting rooms that there’s a better solution!

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Recovery is the name of the game, but for some people that requires some nice sounds and cozy events.

Friday:

De Biet are an old school band from Amsterdam Oost. 60's sound, they like to say: Maloe Melo. 10pm, 5€ entry.

Saturday:

You know before he was an actor, Ice-T was a rapper. And he's back, to be found at Melkweg; 9pm, 27€ + membership.

Sunday:

Lee Konitz, the legendary saxophonist, plays Bimhuis, along side the Concertgebouw Jazz Orchestra; 9:15pm, 16€.

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Here’s a cheery note to end the year with: Dutch schools will be taking precautions in order to avoid being the victims of arson this New Year’s Eve. From Expatica:

“Last year, 25 primary schools suffered damage as a result of fireworks, vandals or arson. Five schools were burnt down, bringing the total damage to around EUR 25 million.”

What is that all about? Burning schools on New Years Eve? Well kids, enjoy the holiday and aim your fireworks more carefully this year.

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Dutch newspapers have run a few articles about what they refer to as ice skating fever; the rush to get out there and ice skate on natural surfaces. This comes as temperatures over the past few days have stayed around the 0 celcius mark, making most lakes and ponds freeze over and seem ready for skating.
But the ice is not safe, according to skating and municipal officials referring to skating fever. Despite the freezing over the ice is technically not thick enough for safe skating and people are taking great risks by doing so right now.
Furthermore according to the weather reports, the ice may not get thick enough for skating this week as temperatures are fluctuating around and sometimes above the zero mark.
So if you do catch skating fever, take a deep breath, drop the skates, and hope for colder weather next week.

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Here’s another great online resource: A guide to a huge number of New Year’s Eve parties in The Netherlands and Belgium. Take your pick…

I’ll highlight Leiden. I won’t be there this year but if I had an earlier flight I’d definitely be partying in my home city. Of course given its small size compared to many others there is only two offerings on this site.

In Casa has a wild party planned, but I wouldn’t recommend this disco unless you are under the age of 16. But City Hall, normally a rockin’ club on the weekend, has a fun evening planned from 10pm to 5am. They’ll be playing House, Techhouse, and Minimal, with a line-up including Jip Deluxe, Sebastian Sleebos, Menasse Workala, NFunk Supreme, and Senzo.

The cover is a bit steep – EUR 22.50 in advance, EUR 25 at the door – but hey, it’s New Year’s Eve, right?

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Here’s a recent article from Radio Netherlands:

“Police officers in Rotterdam are to be given mobile phones with cameras so they can film suspicious individuals or situations. They will then be able to send the recordings to colleagues, who in turn will be able to respond to such requests for help more quickly.”

Sounds like an interesting use of technology. However wouldn’t a radio call work just as fast? It seems that such recordings may help in court, when a suspect is on trial for a crime, but not so much in seeking help during an emergency. Looking forward to hearing how this turns out.

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That gap between Christmas and NEw Years usually leaves Amsterdam pretty quiet, as people prepare for the big party and check in with friends and family outside town. However, there is still fun to be had indoors.

Saturday:

Alain Clark is a growing name in the world of soul, despite being Dutch. (ha!) Heineken Music Hall, 8pm, €25/€29.50.

It is a big Dutch hip-hop show and it is called Missin’ Link Eindejaars Parade, celebrating the end of the year; Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 9pm, €15 + membership.

Sunday:

Calefax Pan are a classical group that covers alot of musical eras; Muziekgebouw, 7:30pm, €11.

My last recommendation for this weekend is an ongoing event: Tangomagia goes from Dec. 26th to the 31st. See the website for list of venues, prices, and the who's who. All levels are welcome, involved and will enjoy. Tango rocks.

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A friend recently sent me an interesting historical article about Leiden. It claims that Leiden is very well the Dutch Oxford: “The town boasts the country’s oldest university and is home to museums, libraries, botanical gardens and other institutions connected to its position as the country’s prime centre of learning.”

It goes on to share a number of interesting facts about the city. It illustrates a Leiden map created in 2007 by Jos Agasi, in the style of De Stijl. Just another inspiration to visit this charming city.

Thanks to Matt for the heads up.

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Anyone out there celebrating the holidays in Amsterdam this year? I did a quick search to find out what kind of information is out there for those of you in the Dutch capital through the end of the year.

Amsterdam.info provides a nice overview of how the Dutch celebrate, from Sinterklaas to comedy shows. A few tidbits:

There are a few museums open on Christmas, including the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House. Pathé Tuschinski is also open for business on the 25th and is showing its usual variety of films.

The Amsterdam.info page also lists some great options for Christmas concerts that are taking place in churches. Check it out, and enjoy the holidays!

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