I had the pleasure of attending my first Dutch wedding this weekend, and my experience prompted me to get back into blogging after my little break!

The last two years of being around Dutch people has made me notice a few things about the lovely specimen one being;

It’s not just football they excel in but Dutch people are incredibly polite too.

I read in Dutch for Dummies that when entering a Dutch party you must shake the hand of every guest, introducing yourself and also congratulating them (if your at a birthday party).

I thought this was ridiculous, do Dutch people seriously expect their guests when they first arrive at the party to shake everyones hand?  Surely not… It must take hours going round everyone and certainly if you arrive at the party later. And why would you congratulate a person that knows the birthday boy/girl or, as they say in Dutch, het feestvarken. – which literally translates to the party pig… how charming!

I contacted Myth Buster’s to look into this high and low and behold the myth it’s actually true… I have attended a few parties now where this has actually happened. And I will be honest, it’s weirdly nice and at the same time slightly tiring saying your name over and over again, but it’s so tempting to change your name each time someone introduces themselves especially if the party is not very lively.

I may offend a few of my fellow Brits, but this warm gesture adds a certain friendliness that we lack at our parties.  It is just not something a British person would do at an event they are attending.  British people, when entering a party, they would go straight to the bar to buy a drink, find the person holding the party and congratulate them, then sit with the people they knew and not move.  No hand shakes to the whole room, or individually congratulating each person or introducing ourselves.  It would certainly not happen until we have a few drinks in us for ‘Dutch courage’.

But it is not just at parties the Dutch people are polite, when I first moved here I was shocked when my neighbours said hello when we crossed our paths.  I lived in my old apartment for two years before moving and I knew none of my neighbours, they certainly didn’t say hello if I saw them.

Maybe it is the slightly and I mean slightly more sunshine that the Netherlands gets that makes Dutch people more friendly, but what ever the reason is I like it and I am going to adopt this way of life.

N x