Tuesday January 1st on the beautiful beach of Simpson Bay, the Dutch have not departed from their annual tradition of the great New Year's dive called "nieuwjaarsduik"
In the Netherlands, New Year's Day is traditionally celebrated with a dive in the sea, no matter the freezing temperatures of the North Sea.
The largest dive in the country is on Scheveningenn beach, where more than 10,000 people participate, often wearing orange t-shirts, the symbolic color of the Netherlands.
For the record, even if the orange does not appear on their flag, the Dutch owe this color to William of Orange-Nassau who in the 16th century was the leader of the revolt against Spain thus leading the Netherlands to his independence. The supporters of Orange-Nassau were called the Orangemen, so this color was adopted as representative of the country!
Regarding the Dutch tradition of deep diving, it started in the town of Zandvoort in 1960 when a swimming club started the year with a dive in the sea; this event drew national attention after a major soup brand decided to sponsor it; from that moment diving became a habit, the number of participants increasing each year.
This festive custom is honored by all Dutch people around the world, so in Sint-Maarten on Simpson Bay beach the Karakter Beach Bar organizes the “nieuwjaarsduik” every year; it is clearly more pleasant and requires less bravery to jump into the Caribbean Sea in January than in the North Sea!
In order to faithfully respect the tradition, a pea soup is then offered to the participants; to certainly warm them up!
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