Carnaval
The Carnival is celebrated in the southern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg (the Catholic provinces), and it is the biggest party of the year. The Carnival begins on February 2nd (Candlemas) and ends on Ash Wednesday, and the tradition is to dress up in costumes, drink beer, and dance in the streets. The Carnival is not just a party. It is a social institution, and the tradition is that for three days, the normal rules are suspended: the boss becomes the servant, the rich become the poor, and the serious become the silly. The Carnival prince (Prins Carnaval) is the nominal ruler of the city for three days, and his word is law. The city is renamed during Carnival: Den Bosch becomes Oeteldonk, Breda becomes Kielegat, and Maastricht becomes Mestreech. The Carnival is not celebrated in the northern provinces (the Protestant provinces), and the cultural divide between the Catholic south and the Protestant north is one of the most important fault lines in Dutch society. . 2026: Mar 4. 2027: Mar 23.
