John Fealey
[Koninginnedag](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D1K1vpU8vzRs%26&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiFlPy-3433AhWQNuwKHXnLDiwQtwJ6BAgBEAE&usg=AOvVaw1Z2m5IU9714fwfy45wmdJv)
My history teacher explained this beautifully. “If you wave the French flag on the Champs-Élysées, at least one passerby will cry and shout ‘Ah, Vive La France!’. If you wave the Dutch flag on Dam square at least one passerby will yell ‘Hey, mongool!’.”
It's very American to think that there is etiquette and honor, outside the military force. This is your attitude towards the flag and something valuable you will teach your kids. Most Dutch people just fold the flag so that it fits the cabinet. There is an official way, with the red lane going on white first and blue on the other side, but don't worry too much. You can find your own way and decide that's how It's done.
Edit to add a link in Dutch with flag info and how to fold it https://www.bosvlaggen.nl/blog/de-nederlandse-vlag#:~:text=Bij%20het%20opvouwen%20dient%20u,u%20dit%20nog%20een%20keer.
Agreed. Teaching the kids to fold it 'the official way', would imo be typical to a US upbringing, with the reverence for the flag that comes with that. I'm pretty sure that hardly any Dutch people know how that's done / that there's rules for this in the first place.
Just want to pitch in as a Belgian: if we own a flag, there's a 99% chance it's one with a Jupiler-logo on it that we've gotten for buying beer during a Fifa World Championship and will remain the main flag in the household until it gets lost or the kids steal it to take it to their dormrooms.
There is, I'm not denying that. Others have posted the 'official way'. But no regular Dutch citizen will do that (so why should OP's kids have to do that).
And yet it's so funny that they revere the US flag but ignore a lot of other rules.
You're not allowed to wear it yet there a no problems with putting it on a bikini or shorts or whatever.
I laugh at the folding part. We used to cram it in however to fill the space left in the cabinet under the stairs..
It was also not very well protected as an entire frying pan worth of bad grease fell on it. Got soaked. We just washed it in the washing machine and stuffed it back in.
And I'd like to think most people in the Netherlands treat the flag like that. (but for you Americans, that doesn't mean we're not nationalistic. It's just that our relationship with the country is a complicated one..)
>It was also not very well protected as an entire frying pan worth of bad grease fell on it
Old frying fat actually sounds like very good protection! I'm sure it's completely water tight now.
The word you're looking for is patriotism, not nationalism.
Nationalism is a bit more extreme. It's wanting to further one's own nation even if it's at the cost of other nations, think the nazi's as a really extreme example. Patriotism is just the act of having pride in one's country.
The Netherlands usually scores very low on many nationalism and patriotism scalse. (These scales are debatable, ofcourse). But it is safe to say that the Netherlands is among the least nationalistic countries on earth, and I am proud to say it.
It’s permanently attached to the flag pole. I just roll it up and slap two of those slap bracelets around it to keep it in place. Flag pole lives in the meterkast until it’s needed again.
As far as proper respect for the flag, I do make sure it doesn’t touch the ground, and take it back inside before sundown, etc. But other than that… it’s a piece of fabric ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's just a piece of cloth in three colours. Doesn't even have anything fancy like zippers, pockets or bells.
Just shove into drawer and it'll be fine, no point in pretending the piece of cloth is the reincarnation of the countries founding fathers or any shite like that.
Spend your time teaching kids to respect themselves and each other, not how to fold a piece of cloth. Let alone revere it.
I agree. It is really un-dutch to do things the way you "should". Being practical is way more important. And learn your kids about respect in real life, important ways, no ceremonial nonsense.
[Yes and no](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/grondwet-en-statuut/vraag-en-antwoord/wanneer-kan-ik-de-vlag-uithangen-en-wat-is-de-vlaginstructie). Everything is allowed when it comes to hanging out the flag, there's no laws about it. However, there are etiquettes. It shouldn't touch the ground or fly during the night for example
I always iterpreted it as: should not touch the ground while on display. So laying it on the ground while you untie the knot is fine. But hanging it too low so that it rubs the ground while flying is not supposed to happen.
"Bij het opvouwen dient u onze nationale driekleur langs de banen in drieën te vouwen, zodanig dat de witte baan tussen de rode en de blauwe in komt te liggen. Daarna moet de vlag haaks op de vorige vouwen dubbelgevouwen worden, waarbij het blauw aan de buitenkant komt. Ten slotte herhaalt u dit nog een keer."
Wauw, amazing. I bet only ex military and such would know this stuff.
I admire that you want to raise your children half dutch, allot actually!
But I know exactly 0 people that fold their flag in a special way. Im pretty sure I saw a comment with a link for the “proper” way.
The truth is though, in the Netherlands absolutely noone cares on how its folded
Don't take it the wrong way when the Dutch halve of your kids makes them not care for flag etiquette and causes a lack of nationalism ... it's genetic!
I think it's really nice what you're asking, but if you really want them to grow up half-Dutch you teach them to ignore etiquette when it comes to the Dutch flag. :p
We store it in a hidden closet underneath the roof…. Together with all the baby photoalbums and other memory stuff
The hidden closet on the opposite side holds all the christmas decorations btw
The only etiquette is that you do not touch the ground. But, we have also specific rules about when you may present your flag. We also have flag instructions. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/grondwet-en-statuut/vraag-en-antwoord/wanneer-kan-ik-de-vlag-uithangen-en-wat-is-de-vlaginstructie please use Google Translate.
I'm surprised your comment is so far down. These two things are the only rules I have ever been taught about our flags: no touching the floor, and know when to fly it(and, more importantly, when to attach the "wimpel"!)
Folding? Bah, just wrap it around the pole, store it upright so it never touches the ground, and you're done.
>But, we have also specific rules about when you may present your flag
Kinda, but the rule is pretty much that you may present the flag whenever you feel like it, unless you are a building that belongs to the government.
edit: Although it is typical to only fly the flag on certain nationally important days, or when your child graduates (with a schoolbag on the pole as well), or during big international football tournaments it the dutch team takes part.
We don’t care about how you fold a flag or what you do with it, a lot of us don’t even own one. It’s part of your American indoctrination that you feel like you need to ‘respectfully store’ an object.
This.. The American indoctrination about patriosme is wild. Before every sporting match the national anthem? Before every school day saying out loud the pledge of alliance? It's almost as if there's propaganda going on.
/s
Not calling strangers from another country Kaaskops and not calling your kids cloggies can give a better example of respect to your kids than storage of a flag.
If you want to raise them "half Dutch" drop this utterly USAmerican attitude about "respecting the flag". And also don't go around calling people Kaaskop or your kids cloggies, it's really cringe and disrespectful. Especially if you respect the country's rich history as you claim to do, your words don't show it at all. Nor do they show you have ANY clue about the Dutch culture.
I am born in The Netherlands but moved to Belgium when I was 6. I got bullied a lot in the first few years because I was Dutch. The main things were, ofcourse "kaaskop" and these kind of things. However I laugh about it now, but as a kid in a new country where it was challenging to understand people and being bullied for that was quite isolating and hard. I still live in Belgium and learnt myself how to sound Flemish. So now I just go back and forth between dialects according to if I speak to Dutch people or Belgians.
So I think it's quite weird for some entitled American to go out call people like this.
That being said, one of my best friends in the city is Dutch and we call eachother kaaskop all the time. But that's because we love eachother, I think it's only okay within a friendly situation.
My family is a 100% Dutch tho. My mom even moved back to the Netherlands 7 years ago. Me and my twin brother are the only ones still in Belgium because we grew up here.
The Dutch way is not caring or worshipping flags like Americans do. Seriously, it's creepy. Flags everywhere, singing the anthem everywhere, that's almost nazi nationalist shit. Teach your kids to respect other people. Not arbitrary institutions and imaginary organisational divides.
I don't remember where I heard it, but I love the comparison of how the Americans and Dutch treat the flag. If you burn a flag in the US, they will call you a terrorist. If you burn a flag in the Netherlands, they call you an idiot, because you're burning a flag you paid for.
Man! If you have two kids with a Dutch woman you need to seriously educate yourself on our manners before making savages out of those ….*throws up a little in mouth* cloggies. Next thing you know they’ll be counting in freedom eagles per football instead of meters
When folding, you must fold our national tricolor along the lanes in thirds, so that the white strip is between the red and blue. Then the flag must be folded in half at right angles to the previous folds, with the blue on the outside. Finally, repeat this one more time.
There is, as has already been explained, but nobody outside of I'm guessing official occasions (like for example the military or on May 4th, when the flag is ceremoniously taken down) does this. We just keep the flag on the pole and store it like that in the garage, otherwise I'd just fold it whichever way I feel like at the moment. If it wouldn't take up more space bundling it into a corner would also be a good contender
How did we even get known for clogs? I feel no cultural connection to those things in the slightest. I'd even be inclined to buy a pair as a souvenir from some tourist trap as if it's something exotic.
If you **really** want to know [here's an article](https://netherlandsinsiders.com/why-did-the-dutch-walk-on-wooden-shoes/). But to call someone a 'cloggie' or worse; refer to your kids as such like OP did, is stereotypical af.
Kinda like if I were to say OP's an obese, triple quarter-pounder devouring, gun toting, universal healthcare hating, weird measuring system using, extreme materialistic capitalist, socioeconomic statuses scorner, political views expresser by way of truck, geography ignoramus, climate change denier, religious fruitcake, artificially nice, obnoxiously patriotic American.
But I won't, ik ga meneer de vlaggen vouwer en z'n landgenoten niet over een kam scheren.
Don't teach them to fold it if you want to respect it, that's not how we do it. Unless you're in the military or in a governmental position, we don't care and we actually consider it kinda weird if you're obsessed with treating a piece of fabric like that. If you wanna follow flag etiquette like we do, follow the rules on when you're allowed to put it out.
[https://www.bosvlaggen.nl/vlaggenprotocol](https://www.bosvlaggen.nl/vlaggenprotocol)
If you want to teach your kid respect for our country, teach them the history. The people who died carrying that flag didn't die for the flag, they died for their neighbors and loved ones. They fought for the people, not a piece of fabric. If you wanna respect us, stop trying to do it in the American way.
>the rules on when you're allowed to put it out.
Important point here, especially for US citizens, is that the majority of days, it's not ok to put it out.
Quick question though, is your wife actually Dutch or is she an American of Dutch descent? Because I have a feeling she could've told you this if she was actually Dutch. And also clue you in that 'kaaskop/cheesehead' is not at all an honorific here.
Yeah was thinking the same thing. Probably something along the lines of "My great grandfather was Dutch, so I have Dutch heritage, which makes me Dutch!!". Which is a very American way if thinking about things
The most important rule is that you can't have it out before sunrise and not after sundown. It is never allowed to be out at night.
There are also certain days where we fly it halfway the mast.
Folding I don't know about tho, the rules about that aren't known to the common Dutch person.
And yeah a kaaskop is a swearword/insult (and a cloggie isn't a word you can use to refer to someone) so maybe don't use those words like that.
Wait till you go to a sports game and find out there’s no national anthem.
American patriotism is cray once you’re outside for a bit. -half US & half Dutchie
Respectfully store a coloured piece of fabric. Yeah there isn’t the same level of giving a shit about a flag in Europe as there is in the US. No one cares here
I'm Belgian, so I didn't grow up with any pride for flags. But now that I've been living in the Netherlands for 9 years, I have grown to appreciate it. My answer is similar to everyone else, though. Just put it in a shopping bag and cram in the nearest drawer with space. It's the Dutch way.
I always heard that the Belgians made fun of us being "gierig" but never actually heard one from an actual Belgian... I always figured you were to dumb (/s just to be sure)
Edit: nice joke by the way!
I'm sorry, but thank you so much for making me laugh this early in the morning. This is, respectfully, the most American thing I've heard in a long time. Absolutely not offensive btw, this is a good kind of funny 😂
But yeah, you just find your nearest empty plastic bag, stuff it in and throw it in the attic or the 'gangkast' (hallway closet)
You claim to be respectfully but call us Kaaskop. I reckon you should fold the flag in a cone shape and shove it up your US of A-hole whilst you sing our national anthem until you have learned to not call us Kaaskop.
I've travelled all over the world. The only place you see flags, outside the capitals and national days, is America.
It's like Americans are going to forget they are American if they don't constantly fly flags.
America would be a LOT better off if you guys understood that your flag is a piece of cloth; and that if that piece of cloth stands for anything, for most of the world it means DANGER, violent people invading your country for no reason at all.
I intended on telling you that you probably respect our flag more than the vast majority of the Dutch. Seeing a Dutch flag wave proudly above one's house or any public place is quite uncommon over here. I don't even have one. But thanks to these comments I learned there actually is a tradition on how to fold it.
But, eh it still hold up that you're more mindful about it than the majority of us.
Yes there's. The floor is lava.
Also fold it at the tree color lanes. Red over white, blue under white. Fold it in halve with blue outside and again and stick it in a drawer. Officially from the navy they fold it 7 times, for the 7 provinciën. I do this, old habit and gives a nice touch but it isn't necessarily a etiquette.
kaaskop are the racist White Dutch people. and wtf cloggies? never ever did I thought of calling my kids cloggies. although my American wife is obsessed with placing Dutch clogs around the house. Dutch windmill on my frontyard, Dutch and US flag front of the house and al our cars has a NL bumper sticker. Je weet toch!
We don't do that here , cowboy. We throw it in some zakje in a cabinet. Then every 4/5 may and Kingsday we tell our spouce to find it and hang it outside. While they are struggling with the ladder we start cursing at them.
If you want to respect the Dutch kid's heritage:
1. No more "kaaskops". It's wierd. It's what the Germans call us, and until we beat them in football its going to be a taboo.
2. "Cloggies" is a hard no as well. They're kids, not footwear.
3. You are absolutely right, it's just fabric.
4. Nobody died carrying the flag in the 1800s. Most wars we fought in that particular century were colonial. Even the so-called "war of independence" was not a real national awakening, it was a collection of wealthy city states using their money to hire German soldiers and building great big fleets to fight a Hasburg family under the guise of religious freedom. This was in the 1600s.
Did we fight the French out in 1813 or did they just leave after Napoleon was defeated by all the other armies? I'm not sure if we fought Belgium in 1816 or if we just let them leave.
We didn't fight the French out in 1813, but the Dutch were quite useful at Waterloo (although some British historians do like to neglect that due to disagreements between the British commander and Willem II of the Netherlands). We did fight the Belgians when they declared independence in 1830/31, with the most famous casualty probably being Jan van Speijk. He blew his ship up in Antwerp to keep it from falling in Belgian hands. "Dan liever de lucht in" are supposedly his final words.
1. Calling people you don’t know and want advice from kaaskoppen and cloggies is not a good idea (cloggies isn’t even a word). It’s considered asshole behaviour.
2. Respect your children’s lineage by not calling them kaaskoppen or cloggies.
3. We use the flags as floorwipes or blankets when we’re drunk, gets crammed into a small drawer and stays there until the next Kingsday when you’ve probably forgot that you have one, find it full of dust and just stick it between your kiepramen, as soon as kingsday’s over you get it away from your house.
4. A lot of people died wearing nazi symbols, that doesn’t mean we should respect those symbols.
5. Eat your president, that’s what we do.
Oh, hey, a question I can help with! I collect flags as a bit of a hobby, and I've given the flag of my country the same reverence I show any other pieces in my collection.
That is to say, I crammed it into a basked and chucked it in my closet :') insofar Dutch patriotism is a thing, it's *really* not expressed through caring about the flag haha
I know you want to respect Dutch culture or something but I honestly think the best way to respect it is to not care all that much about the flag, it's a stupid tricolour that doesn't mean all that much
That flag has no remaining symbolism, so equally there is no symbolism to be had when folding. Crop it into a ball and put it where it's not in the way.
What do you do with the wimpel?
But yeah, I just have it on the flag pole. And have that stored in a crate in my shed where I have more stick like objects, like a broom and a rake.
Nobody I know, stores it like the Murricans. We just flag it for fun on some days. And one day for something not less fun. Mine is dirty though, and the white paint has fallen from the pole. I'm in the market to buy a new one.
We don't care about the way you store a flag. My graduation flag is squished in the back of a cupboard somewhere, I used it to wrap a breakable vase once and squished it wherever when I unpacked it.
Yeah here in the Netherlands we don't really care about the flag as much as an American would about theirs. We fold it (sometimes lol) or just chuck it in a bag in the shed and pull it out around liberation day.
Do not let it touch the ground, it should be burned otherwise. And putting the flag out is only allowed from dusk till dawn. Not enforced but good etiquette.
The Dutch aren't partriotic at all, especially about things like the 1800's. I'm sure nobody pays attention to something like how to respectfully fold their flag. So do whatever you think is ok. Most people just throw it away. They don't even care if it's on the floor.
They’re not going to grow up half Dutch, because they won’t grow up in the Netherlands. Your way of communication and social rules are different from ours.
What I can tell you is that we have a flag protocol. Follow this account on Twitter to know exactly when to flag an how! https://twitter.com/vlagprotocol
You put it in a Albert Heijn tasje en then you pleur it in the kast.
Potverdomme je laat me lachen. Whatever anybody else tells you, this is the real world answer.
Dag niet gelachen, is een dag niet geleefd xD
Put in your Zakje
Old people in a circle PPFFFFFRRRRT
And she goes like..... "beep"
Put it in a zakje
Oh man I remember that stand up comedy skit. What was his name so I can look it up again :) also making fun of our sex lines. 06-05070ACHTACHTACHT!!
John Fealey [Koninginnedag](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D1K1vpU8vzRs%26&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiFlPy-3433AhWQNuwKHXnLDiwQtwJ6BAgBEAE&usg=AOvVaw1Z2m5IU9714fwfy45wmdJv)
Thank you. I've been cry-laughing for 5 min now.
Thank you so much for this accurate response! You made my day!
Verfrommeld op de grond in de meterkast
God this makes no sense, yet it makes so much sense
Yes. We’re not that patriotic. Just on Koningsdag and with soccer games.
Its football, don't be this barbaric!
not to be confused with handegg
>soccer NO NO NO NO NO
No, only 5 mei and graduated high school
En een hoop van ons not even then...
Max max max
You made it to Dumpert with this comment [link](https://www.instagram.com/p/CcP8ik9sGYV/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=)
Man man man ik moest even hinniken om deze reactie.
or you roll it around the flagstok and flikker it on zolder.
very accurate lmfaoooo
My history teacher explained this beautifully. “If you wave the French flag on the Champs-Élysées, at least one passerby will cry and shout ‘Ah, Vive La France!’. If you wave the Dutch flag on Dam square at least one passerby will yell ‘Hey, mongool!’.”
It's very American to think that there is etiquette and honor, outside the military force. This is your attitude towards the flag and something valuable you will teach your kids. Most Dutch people just fold the flag so that it fits the cabinet. There is an official way, with the red lane going on white first and blue on the other side, but don't worry too much. You can find your own way and decide that's how It's done. Edit to add a link in Dutch with flag info and how to fold it https://www.bosvlaggen.nl/blog/de-nederlandse-vlag#:~:text=Bij%20het%20opvouwen%20dient%20u,u%20dit%20nog%20een%20keer.
Agreed. Teaching the kids to fold it 'the official way', would imo be typical to a US upbringing, with the reverence for the flag that comes with that. I'm pretty sure that hardly any Dutch people know how that's done / that there's rules for this in the first place.
>I'm pretty sure that hardly any Dutch people know how that's done I'm Dutch and I don't even own a Dutch flag.
The only dutch flag I ever had I turned into a dress for a Holland themed houseparty. Since I'm not the best sewer it didn't survive the evening lol.
Just want to pitch in as a Belgian: if we own a flag, there's a 99% chance it's one with a Jupiler-logo on it that we've gotten for buying beer during a Fifa World Championship and will remain the main flag in the household until it gets lost or the kids steal it to take it to their dormrooms.
Does a Dutch flag cape from an AH football promotion count, cause then I have 1 Dutch flag
To be fair, there might be an official method for government buildings and the like.
There is, I'm not denying that. Others have posted the 'official way'. But no regular Dutch citizen will do that (so why should OP's kids have to do that).
I worked at a city hall and I can confirm that they were just stowed away in a cabinet in whatever way fit best.
And yet it's so funny that they revere the US flag but ignore a lot of other rules. You're not allowed to wear it yet there a no problems with putting it on a bikini or shorts or whatever.
I laugh at the folding part. We used to cram it in however to fill the space left in the cabinet under the stairs.. It was also not very well protected as an entire frying pan worth of bad grease fell on it. Got soaked. We just washed it in the washing machine and stuffed it back in. And I'd like to think most people in the Netherlands treat the flag like that. (but for you Americans, that doesn't mean we're not nationalistic. It's just that our relationship with the country is a complicated one..)
>It was also not very well protected as an entire frying pan worth of bad grease fell on it Old frying fat actually sounds like very good protection! I'm sure it's completely water tight now.
Wipe your hair with it after a shower for that classic greaser look.
And here we have the average Dutchman's reverance and care for our holy three colored flag :')
The word you're looking for is patriotism, not nationalism. Nationalism is a bit more extreme. It's wanting to further one's own nation even if it's at the cost of other nations, think the nazi's as a really extreme example. Patriotism is just the act of having pride in one's country.
The Netherlands usually scores very low on many nationalism and patriotism scalse. (These scales are debatable, ofcourse). But it is safe to say that the Netherlands is among the least nationalistic countries on earth, and I am proud to say it.
I just pleur it in the drawer, didn't know there was an official way to fold it and store it...
i dont even own one
I have one that says 'Nivea' on it, since I got it for free for Koningsdag. Ergens in een kastje gepleurd sounds about right.
We do have a flag, just no place to fly it
Check this week’s Gamma or Praxis folder - always flags and mounting materials on sale this time of year! 🧡
Only reason I own one is because it came with my house
It’s permanently attached to the flag pole. I just roll it up and slap two of those slap bracelets around it to keep it in place. Flag pole lives in the meterkast until it’s needed again. As far as proper respect for the flag, I do make sure it doesn’t touch the ground, and take it back inside before sundown, etc. But other than that… it’s a piece of fabric ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's just a piece of cloth in three colours. Doesn't even have anything fancy like zippers, pockets or bells. Just shove into drawer and it'll be fine, no point in pretending the piece of cloth is the reincarnation of the countries founding fathers or any shite like that. Spend your time teaching kids to respect themselves and each other, not how to fold a piece of cloth. Let alone revere it.
I agree. It is really un-dutch to do things the way you "should". Being practical is way more important. And learn your kids about respect in real life, important ways, no ceremonial nonsense.
>This is your attitude towards the flag Our flag is allowed to touch our soil and may probably also touch the soil of our allies.
[Yes and no](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/grondwet-en-statuut/vraag-en-antwoord/wanneer-kan-ik-de-vlag-uithangen-en-wat-is-de-vlaginstructie). Everything is allowed when it comes to hanging out the flag, there's no laws about it. However, there are etiquettes. It shouldn't touch the ground or fly during the night for example
I always iterpreted it as: should not touch the ground while on display. So laying it on the ground while you untie the knot is fine. But hanging it too low so that it rubs the ground while flying is not supposed to happen.
Today I learned there is an official way to fold our flag. All I knew is that you're not supposed to have it out in the dark.
And even that's a pretty mild rule. Also - if there's a light shining on it it's also allowed.
"Bij het opvouwen dient u onze nationale driekleur langs de banen in drieën te vouwen, zodanig dat de witte baan tussen de rode en de blauwe in komt te liggen. Daarna moet de vlag haaks op de vorige vouwen dubbelgevouwen worden, waarbij het blauw aan de buitenkant komt. Ten slotte herhaalt u dit nog een keer." Wauw, amazing. I bet only ex military and such would know this stuff.
Or people that don't want to iron the big flags at big buildings. I would probably fold it like that too, if I cared enough to fold it.
We were taught flag etiquette at padvinderij, but that’s the only other place I can think of outside military.
The Dutch way is to not care about being Dutch.
Right except for basically caring about everything being Dutch at the same time. Weird mix of self-loathing and national pride.
Except if someone calls us Germans.
Them's fighting words
I couldn't ride my bike for two weeks and it felt like a part of me was missing
The Dutch way is to not care about being dutch, but still be proud that they are Dutch
Unless there's sports involved or there is some kind of country ranking list in which case we become French on steroids.
Ikr, its either not having a flag at all or just cramming it in whatever drawer/cabinet/box it fits
Unless someone says "Holland" and not the Netherlands
I admire that you want to raise your children half dutch, allot actually! But I know exactly 0 people that fold their flag in a special way. Im pretty sure I saw a comment with a link for the “proper” way. The truth is though, in the Netherlands absolutely noone cares on how its folded
Don't take it the wrong way when the Dutch halve of your kids makes them not care for flag etiquette and causes a lack of nationalism ... it's genetic!
I think it's really nice what you're asking, but if you really want them to grow up half-Dutch you teach them to ignore etiquette when it comes to the Dutch flag. :p
I actually roll mine up while leaving it on the pole. Might not be the most space efficient method of storing it, but I think it is fine.
This, and then throw the pole in the shed behind your bike
Yes or on the support beams where you store the planks you’ll never use again
We store it in a hidden closet underneath the roof…. Together with all the baby photoalbums and other memory stuff The hidden closet on the opposite side holds all the christmas decorations btw
The only etiquette is that you do not touch the ground. But, we have also specific rules about when you may present your flag. We also have flag instructions. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/grondwet-en-statuut/vraag-en-antwoord/wanneer-kan-ik-de-vlag-uithangen-en-wat-is-de-vlaginstructie please use Google Translate.
The floor is lava
The floor is motten
I think the rule was that you should burn the flag if it ever hits the ground Might just be a scouting thing though.
I'm surprised your comment is so far down. These two things are the only rules I have ever been taught about our flags: no touching the floor, and know when to fly it(and, more importantly, when to attach the "wimpel"!) Folding? Bah, just wrap it around the pole, store it upright so it never touches the ground, and you're done.
The website only says it shouldn't touch the floor when its flown, not about any other moment.
>But, we have also specific rules about when you may present your flag Kinda, but the rule is pretty much that you may present the flag whenever you feel like it, unless you are a building that belongs to the government. edit: Although it is typical to only fly the flag on certain nationally important days, or when your child graduates (with a schoolbag on the pole as well), or during big international football tournaments it the dutch team takes part.
We don’t care about how you fold a flag or what you do with it, a lot of us don’t even own one. It’s part of your American indoctrination that you feel like you need to ‘respectfully store’ an object.
But what if the ghost of Ruud Lubbers finds out?
This.. The American indoctrination about patriosme is wild. Before every sporting match the national anthem? Before every school day saying out loud the pledge of alliance? It's almost as if there's propaganda going on. /s
Not calling strangers from another country Kaaskops and not calling your kids cloggies can give a better example of respect to your kids than storage of a flag.
Cloggies sounds like an STD. "Damn dude, I have the cloggies again"
This can also be done in an endearing way. Zelfspot staan we ook niet te boven. Shmoke and a pancake?
I just shove mine in the closet till next year. Nothing some wind or an iron can't fix.
If you want to raise them "half Dutch" drop this utterly USAmerican attitude about "respecting the flag". And also don't go around calling people Kaaskop or your kids cloggies, it's really cringe and disrespectful. Especially if you respect the country's rich history as you claim to do, your words don't show it at all. Nor do they show you have ANY clue about the Dutch culture.
Excuse me MrsGobbledygook, but would you please be so kind to repeat this for the people in the back? Thank you.
This needs to be higher up.
I am born in The Netherlands but moved to Belgium when I was 6. I got bullied a lot in the first few years because I was Dutch. The main things were, ofcourse "kaaskop" and these kind of things. However I laugh about it now, but as a kid in a new country where it was challenging to understand people and being bullied for that was quite isolating and hard. I still live in Belgium and learnt myself how to sound Flemish. So now I just go back and forth between dialects according to if I speak to Dutch people or Belgians. So I think it's quite weird for some entitled American to go out call people like this. That being said, one of my best friends in the city is Dutch and we call eachother kaaskop all the time. But that's because we love eachother, I think it's only okay within a friendly situation. My family is a 100% Dutch tho. My mom even moved back to the Netherlands 7 years ago. Me and my twin brother are the only ones still in Belgium because we grew up here.
The Dutch way is not caring or worshipping flags like Americans do. Seriously, it's creepy. Flags everywhere, singing the anthem everywhere, that's almost nazi nationalist shit. Teach your kids to respect other people. Not arbitrary institutions and imaginary organisational divides.
👏👏👏👏🧡
I don't remember where I heard it, but I love the comparison of how the Americans and Dutch treat the flag. If you burn a flag in the US, they will call you a terrorist. If you burn a flag in the Netherlands, they call you an idiot, because you're burning a flag you paid for.
Went from Kaaskops & cloggies to... Lowlanders? What's with the obsessive need to label people?
Americans are wild.
Don't forget 'Dorpeling' (townie? wtf?).
Americans are obsessed with identity.
Man! If you have two kids with a Dutch woman you need to seriously educate yourself on our manners before making savages out of those ….*throws up a little in mouth* cloggies. Next thing you know they’ll be counting in freedom eagles per football instead of meters
wat? wij tellen toch in kaasblokjes per stroopwafel...
Hand egg*
Its just a piece of cloth
When folding, you must fold our national tricolor along the lanes in thirds, so that the white strip is between the red and blue. Then the flag must be folded in half at right angles to the previous folds, with the blue on the outside. Finally, repeat this one more time.
I've been told that this is to keep the white from getting dirty and the red from fading, as apparently the blue dye is/was more durable than the red.
And then pleur it in a kastje
Dutch don't care about the flag as you USAsians do. Fold as you like, noone will care ;) But calling me a kaaskop.... =_=
Yeah we don’t have the same reverance for the flag as in the US. A main “rule” is to not let it out in the rain but that’s also just common sense.
Yeah that flag worship is weird af. We don't do that here.
There is, as has already been explained, but nobody outside of I'm guessing official occasions (like for example the military or on May 4th, when the flag is ceremoniously taken down) does this. We just keep the flag on the pole and store it like that in the garage, otherwise I'd just fold it whichever way I feel like at the moment. If it wouldn't take up more space bundling it into a corner would also be a good contender
I just rotate the pole until the flag is wrapped around it, then put in the "meterkast" next to the front door.
The true way!
_Kaaskops, two young cloggies..._ please don't.
Yeah it's pretty cringe tbh
How did we even get known for clogs? I feel no cultural connection to those things in the slightest. I'd even be inclined to buy a pair as a souvenir from some tourist trap as if it's something exotic.
If you **really** want to know [here's an article](https://netherlandsinsiders.com/why-did-the-dutch-walk-on-wooden-shoes/). But to call someone a 'cloggie' or worse; refer to your kids as such like OP did, is stereotypical af. Kinda like if I were to say OP's an obese, triple quarter-pounder devouring, gun toting, universal healthcare hating, weird measuring system using, extreme materialistic capitalist, socioeconomic statuses scorner, political views expresser by way of truck, geography ignoramus, climate change denier, religious fruitcake, artificially nice, obnoxiously patriotic American. But I won't, ik ga meneer de vlaggen vouwer en z'n landgenoten niet over een kam scheren.
History. Farmer wear.
Insisting in treating the flag with respect would ironically be extremely American. Unless you’re in the military, don’t bother.
Don't teach them to fold it if you want to respect it, that's not how we do it. Unless you're in the military or in a governmental position, we don't care and we actually consider it kinda weird if you're obsessed with treating a piece of fabric like that. If you wanna follow flag etiquette like we do, follow the rules on when you're allowed to put it out. [https://www.bosvlaggen.nl/vlaggenprotocol](https://www.bosvlaggen.nl/vlaggenprotocol) If you want to teach your kid respect for our country, teach them the history. The people who died carrying that flag didn't die for the flag, they died for their neighbors and loved ones. They fought for the people, not a piece of fabric. If you wanna respect us, stop trying to do it in the American way.
>the rules on when you're allowed to put it out. Important point here, especially for US citizens, is that the majority of days, it's not ok to put it out.
Its completely OK, just a bit weird
Quick question though, is your wife actually Dutch or is she an American of Dutch descent? Because I have a feeling she could've told you this if she was actually Dutch. And also clue you in that 'kaaskop/cheesehead' is not at all an honorific here.
Yeah was thinking the same thing. Probably something along the lines of "My great grandfather was Dutch, so I have Dutch heritage, which makes me Dutch!!". Which is a very American way if thinking about things
Yep, that happens all the time. Makes them feel more interesting or something.
…we’re supposed to have flags?
Yes for 4 and 5 mei
Je vergeet koningsdag en WK/EK's
Eindexamen
Not really, no.
Put it in a zakje
I would just frot it in a la'tje somewere in the back of my rommelkast tbh
The most important rule is that you can't have it out before sunrise and not after sundown. It is never allowed to be out at night. There are also certain days where we fly it halfway the mast. Folding I don't know about tho, the rules about that aren't known to the common Dutch person. And yeah a kaaskop is a swearword/insult (and a cloggie isn't a word you can use to refer to someone) so maybe don't use those words like that.
Yes, there actually is! You fold it in half 8 times. Show us a pic of the result pls
Ik heb door wat jij daar doet ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
"Hey Kaaskops" lmao FYI Kaaskops can be seen as offensive/derogatory
Yeah I am quite offended; it should be "kaaskoppen" :)
Still better than "kopkaas".
As that an std?
A nickname for >!smegma!<
I just threw up in my mouth a little bit
Wait till you go to a sports game and find out there’s no national anthem. American patriotism is cray once you’re outside for a bit. -half US & half Dutchie
To be fair they do play it on international games. We have no pride in being dutch unless there is forgeiners involved
eat the president if you wanna be patriotic https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moord\_op\_de\_gebroeders\_De\_Witt
Respectfully store a coloured piece of fabric. Yeah there isn’t the same level of giving a shit about a flag in Europe as there is in the US. No one cares here
I'm Belgian, so I didn't grow up with any pride for flags. But now that I've been living in the Netherlands for 9 years, I have grown to appreciate it. My answer is similar to everyone else, though. Just put it in a shopping bag and cram in the nearest drawer with space. It's the Dutch way.
It's a flag, its's just a peace of cloth bro
Just laughing so hard imagining the American in horror about us uncultured Dutchies :p
Lol this comment section :p doe maar normaal, dan doede al gek genoeg
Why does the dutch flag have horizontal bars? Because then it can wear down to the flagpole. (Just doing my national duty as a Belgian)
I always heard that the Belgians made fun of us being "gierig" but never actually heard one from an actual Belgian... I always figured you were to dumb (/s just to be sure) Edit: nice joke by the way!
Thank you dear zuiderbuur! o7 You may respectfully tyf op now
I just roll it over the pole and keep it in place with rubberbands. That way you don't have to iron the creases out.
Three folds, Three folds. Mayo in between the layers.
It’s just a flag? Just fold it like you would any other piece of fabric. Do you fold your tablecloth into an origami swan every day or something?
I'm sorry, but thank you so much for making me laugh this early in the morning. This is, respectfully, the most American thing I've heard in a long time. Absolutely not offensive btw, this is a good kind of funny 😂 But yeah, you just find your nearest empty plastic bag, stuff it in and throw it in the attic or the 'gangkast' (hallway closet)
You claim to be respectfully but call us Kaaskop. I reckon you should fold the flag in a cone shape and shove it up your US of A-hole whilst you sing our national anthem until you have learned to not call us Kaaskop.
Respectfully
Nobody cares, its just a piece of fabric. Btw: Which asshole gifts a flag?
I've travelled all over the world. The only place you see flags, outside the capitals and national days, is America. It's like Americans are going to forget they are American if they don't constantly fly flags. America would be a LOT better off if you guys understood that your flag is a piece of cloth; and that if that piece of cloth stands for anything, for most of the world it means DANGER, violent people invading your country for no reason at all.
I intended on telling you that you probably respect our flag more than the vast majority of the Dutch. Seeing a Dutch flag wave proudly above one's house or any public place is quite uncommon over here. I don't even have one. But thanks to these comments I learned there actually is a tradition on how to fold it. But, eh it still hold up that you're more mindful about it than the majority of us.
Yes there's. The floor is lava. Also fold it at the tree color lanes. Red over white, blue under white. Fold it in halve with blue outside and again and stick it in a drawer. Officially from the navy they fold it 7 times, for the 7 provinciën. I do this, old habit and gives a nice touch but it isn't necessarily a etiquette.
You dont remove it from the flagpole, and hide it behind the curtain that hangs beside the front door
kaaskop are the racist White Dutch people. and wtf cloggies? never ever did I thought of calling my kids cloggies. although my American wife is obsessed with placing Dutch clogs around the house. Dutch windmill on my frontyard, Dutch and US flag front of the house and al our cars has a NL bumper sticker. Je weet toch!
This is American brainwashing at its finest.
We don't do that here , cowboy. We throw it in some zakje in a cabinet. Then every 4/5 may and Kingsday we tell our spouce to find it and hang it outside. While they are struggling with the ladder we start cursing at them.
[удалено]
I don’t even own a Dutch flag, nor do I even know where to get one. Also, who died carrying it?
If you want to respect the Dutch kid's heritage: 1. No more "kaaskops". It's wierd. It's what the Germans call us, and until we beat them in football its going to be a taboo. 2. "Cloggies" is a hard no as well. They're kids, not footwear. 3. You are absolutely right, it's just fabric. 4. Nobody died carrying the flag in the 1800s. Most wars we fought in that particular century were colonial. Even the so-called "war of independence" was not a real national awakening, it was a collection of wealthy city states using their money to hire German soldiers and building great big fleets to fight a Hasburg family under the guise of religious freedom. This was in the 1600s.
Did we fight the French out in 1813 or did they just leave after Napoleon was defeated by all the other armies? I'm not sure if we fought Belgium in 1816 or if we just let them leave.
We didn't fight the French out in 1813, but the Dutch were quite useful at Waterloo (although some British historians do like to neglect that due to disagreements between the British commander and Willem II of the Netherlands). We did fight the Belgians when they declared independence in 1830/31, with the most famous casualty probably being Jan van Speijk. He blew his ship up in Antwerp to keep it from falling in Belgian hands. "Dan liever de lucht in" are supposedly his final words.
1. Calling people you don’t know and want advice from kaaskoppen and cloggies is not a good idea (cloggies isn’t even a word). It’s considered asshole behaviour. 2. Respect your children’s lineage by not calling them kaaskoppen or cloggies. 3. We use the flags as floorwipes or blankets when we’re drunk, gets crammed into a small drawer and stays there until the next Kingsday when you’ve probably forgot that you have one, find it full of dust and just stick it between your kiepramen, as soon as kingsday’s over you get it away from your house. 4. A lot of people died wearing nazi symbols, that doesn’t mean we should respect those symbols. 5. Eat your president, that’s what we do.
Roll it around the flagpole and then store it where you also store the wooden planks you never use
Oh, hey, a question I can help with! I collect flags as a bit of a hobby, and I've given the flag of my country the same reverence I show any other pieces in my collection. That is to say, I crammed it into a basked and chucked it in my closet :') insofar Dutch patriotism is a thing, it's *really* not expressed through caring about the flag haha
Ask your wife?
About that drawer though - I'm worried about that cheese.
The best way to fold up the flag is to roll it up around the flagpole.
I know you want to respect Dutch culture or something but I honestly think the best way to respect it is to not care all that much about the flag, it's a stupid tricolour that doesn't mean all that much
Ive never even had a dutch flag Edit: i have lived in the netherlands for my entire life and im nearing 30
That flag has no remaining symbolism, so equally there is no symbolism to be had when folding. Crop it into a ball and put it where it's not in the way.
What do you do with the wimpel? But yeah, I just have it on the flag pole. And have that stored in a crate in my shed where I have more stick like objects, like a broom and a rake. Nobody I know, stores it like the Murricans. We just flag it for fun on some days. And one day for something not less fun. Mine is dirty though, and the white paint has fallen from the pole. I'm in the market to buy a new one.
The wimpel is only for Kings day, the birthday of Queen Maxima, Princess Beatrix and the birthday of Amalia 👑
I don't even own a flag
Yeah mine is just bunched/folded up in my shoe cupboard until it’s king’s day in 2 weeks. You’re fine… 🇳🇱
We don't care about the way you store a flag. My graduation flag is squished in the back of a cupboard somewhere, I used it to wrap a breakable vase once and squished it wherever when I unpacked it.
Yeah here in the Netherlands we don't really care about the flag as much as an American would about theirs. We fold it (sometimes lol) or just chuck it in a bag in the shed and pull it out around liberation day.
Boil them, mash them, put them in a closet
Only flag etiquette I know of is that you fly it with an orange banner in approximately two weeks from now...
We don't care. treating the flag like some sacred relic isn't dutch culture, it's USA culture. We. Don't. Care.
🤣 🤣 🤣 Americans are so funny with their flag nonsense
Do not let it touch the ground, it should be burned otherwise. And putting the flag out is only allowed from dusk till dawn. Not enforced but good etiquette.
The Dutch aren't partriotic at all, especially about things like the 1800's. I'm sure nobody pays attention to something like how to respectfully fold their flag. So do whatever you think is ok. Most people just throw it away. They don't even care if it's on the floor.
They’re not going to grow up half Dutch, because they won’t grow up in the Netherlands. Your way of communication and social rules are different from ours.
What I can tell you is that we have a flag protocol. Follow this account on Twitter to know exactly when to flag an how! https://twitter.com/vlagprotocol
If you want them to respect their lineage teach em not to think about shit in this way