If you've lived in The Netherlands for any length of time you've probably encountered a Dutch birthday party, and if you haven't you will eventually. It is inevitable. A Dutch birthday party can be best described as a ‘party' that involves sitting around in a circle all afternoon and chatting while drinking tea or coffee and eating cake. Because of this they have become know as Dutch circle parties among a lot of people (expats and Dutch alike). Anyone who only considers a party to be a party if someone is passed out drunk in the corner, people are making out in the kitchen and the cops have been called at least three times is going to be sorely disappointed. Here is everything you need to know.
1) Gefeliciteerd and Arriving at the Party
When arriving at a Dutch circle party you will be expected to greet everyone, not just the birthday boy or girl. Don't expect to get away with a general group, “hello,” either. You'll have to make your way around the circle, greeting each person individually (with a handshake or cheek kisses, depending on the situation).
At this point it is very important to know that when the other attendees shake your hand and announce ‘Gefeliciteerd' they are not introducing themselves with their name. It might start to seem like you are being introduced to a very big family (or that Gefeliciteerd is a more common name in The Netherlands than Smith) but they are in fact wishing you, “congratulations”. You are expected to congratulate them in return. Don't make the same mistake I made when attending my first Dutch birthday party.
Guest: “Gefeliciteerd.”
Me: “Stuart. Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Gefeliciteerd.”
All this congratulating happens because it is custom for the Dutch to congratulate everyone at the birthday party. It is not (as I later discovered) because they are unsure who the birthday boy or girl is (don't try to be helpful by pointing). Family members will be congratulated for their connection to their Son/Daughter/Grandchild/Brother/Sister/Niece/Nephew/Cousin/other. Friends will be congratulated for being friends with their friend and neighbors will be congratulated for living next door to someone who is having a birthday. Every loose connection to the birthday girl or boy is celebrated.
2) Joining The Circle
The party will take place exclusively in the living room because that is where the seating has been arranged. Anything that even resembles a chair, sofa or stool will have been dragged from every other room in the house (or in emergencies the neighbors house) to form a circle. This is possibly because it is the optimal seating arrangement that allows for conversation.
Small side note; it does not technically have to be a perfect circle but I cover that in my post on Circle Party Closed Loop Theory.
Once you have successfully found a place to sit within the circle (not necessarily next to the people you arrived with and most likely between people you don't know at all) you will be offered a drink and some cake. If you desire a drink with a little extra kick it is advisable to secretly conceal a hip flask of alcohol about your person. The strongest thing to be served at most Dutch circle parties is tea and coffee.
If all the congratulating from earlier has left you confused about who the birthday person is don't worry, they are most likely the one who just served you tea and cake. In fact, they will be responsible for all the catering. They don't get much of a rest on their special day. They even have to buy or bake their own cake.
3) Meeting the Family and Other Party Guests
The guests you'll find at a typical Dutch birthday party are usually a mix of friends, family and other acquaintances. It is custom for there to be a minimum of 3 or 4 generations of family present (the maximum limit is only set by the average human life span). This makes it entirely possible to go from a conversation about life as a member of the Dutch resistance during World War 2 to another about which My Little Pony character is the best and why. It's best to avoid getting these two conversations mixed up. Princess Twilight Sparkle was never part of the Dutch resistance.
However, since a lot of these conversations will be in Dutch and thus impossible for a non-Dutch speaker to follow it is best to find something of interest to do to pass the time such as; staring at a wall, listening to the clock tick, trying to guess how much Dutch ‘worst & kaas' you can eat or simply going to your happy place.
4) Dutch Circle Party Surprise
However, you must also stay alert! As a non Dutch speaker it is possible to go from being unintentionally ignored to suddenly having the entire room focus upon you within a split second. This is usually because everyone is waiting silently for your answer to a question that you didn't hear because you were too busy watching a bug crawl across the window.
It can happen because a Dutch attendee simply wanted to practice their English, ask you what brought you to the Netherlands or simply want to know the current prices of the UK housing market. Whatever the reason, everyone in the room suddenly wants to hear the English speaker talk and they never seem to realize what a shock to the system this sudden intimidating attention can be. Nor do they realize that testing us on our Dutch under the watchful eye of a room full of native speakers is not necessarily the most comfortable of situations.
5) When Does a Dutch Circle Party Finish?
But do not worry if you are outted as the only expat in the room. You will not have to suffer for long. Most Dutch birthday parties have a set end time at a very respectable hour. In fact, when most parties elsewhere in the world are just getting started a Dutch circle party is promptly finishing. If you are unsure when you should leave, don't worry. The host or hostess will politely remind their guests it is time to leave by cleaning up around them.
PARRTTTYYYY!!!!!
- “Happy birthday man!”
Whether it’s your father, brother, uncle, boyfriend, mate, or someone you love, it’d be such a blessing for them to be wished upon their birthday. Tripboba has got you covered with some thoughtful messages for your man. So, say happy birthday man and make sure he has a blast on their special day!
Happy birthday old man
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Wish a happy birthday man to your uncle, father, or anyone you know who’s always inspired you with their wisdom.
• “Celebrate your birthday with the greatest joy for the priceless gift of life, be filled with joy that brings renewed strength.” ― Wayne Chirisa
• “Happy Birthday, Old man. I wish you from the bottom of my heart and I wish to pay attention to you and your life even more for the coming years. I wish nothing but optimism and a strong core to you. Let there be a celebration every day and that is what I wish for you and your coming year. May your year be filled with great achievements and victories!” — Unknown
• “I cannot be happier to wish you a very happy birthday. I wish happiness and prosperity to you by wishing upon you the health and joy that you are seeking. I congratulate you on your birthday. Happy birthday, Oldie!” — Unknown
• “I wish to congratulate you on your birthday with all my heart despite the age that you are in; I wish you a gallant and self-assured birthday. May your coming year be filled with all the right people and let sorrow be filled with joy.” — Unknown
• “Happy Birthday Wonderful man! I wish you sunlight, strength, and joy to your soul. Age is just a number and you know it. Let every passing year give you the riches of life and helps you in bearing with them with wellbeing and joy.” — Unknown
• “I wish you very happy birthday to a strong man like you. Let no wind or thunderstorm change you and may you always stay in your lane to achieve the biggest milestones of life. Let there be warmth and love in all your endeavors.” — Unknown
• “Happy birthday old man. You’re really getting old now, aren’t you? Every year that I spend with you I have always learned something new. Stay healthy and youthful!” — Unknown
• “You may be old, but that doesn’t mean that your birthday celebrations can’t be awesome anymore! Happy birthday to you and enjoy the celebration that we’re gonna have for you!” — Unknown
Happy birthday old man meme
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Wanna wish a happy birthday man to your favorite oldie more casually? Then start a lively banter with these funny birthday wishes.
• “Happy birthday old man! May your knees stop hurting, your back and neck stop cracking, and you finally stopping your yakking and visiting the doctor for some actual help!” — Unknown
• “Happy birthday old man! May God bless you with good health and really young and youthful joints this year – you sure sound like you’re going to need it!” — Unknown
• “Happy birthday you rugged old man! If anything, this would be about the right time for you to stop all those wild activities and start acting your age.” — Unknown
• “They say that the years come with plenty of wisdom, but nana keeps saying that you’re just a boy who has grown old, but never grew up. Happy birthday you funny old man!” — Unknown
• “Hey old man, so it’s your birthday today! How’s the old people life treating you? I wish I can heal those back pains you keep complaining about, but I really can’t. Be well soon!” — Unknown
• “Some important advice for your special day, smile while you still have some teeth left! Happy Birthday! Told ya, you should have married that dentist!” — Unknown
• “Happy Birthday! You have made it to the old dirt man world, Keep farting, oldie! But not, when you are with us, like always!” — Unknown
• “You are getting salty with age. It is the years of seasoning making you salty old man. Congratulations on adding taste in our life. Happy Birthday, Old spice.” — Unknown
Happy birthday for a man
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Celebrate the special day of your close friend or family with some happy birthday man wishes and keep them inspired.
• “Years have passed; years will pass; the difference being, today we are together, tomorrow our memories will be together. So here I promise you to have a wonderful birthday.” ― bhanu Priya
• “I wish you a vivacious day of love, laughter, and joy. Have an awesome birthday!” ― Debasish Mridha
• “May your birthday be as pleasant and awesome as you always are.” ― Debasish Mridha
• “Celebrate your day of birthday as special day. Make a specific birthday wishes and write it down.You will be amazed about the power of pen and inner strength to accomplish the wishes. This will be a special gift for yourself on each birthday.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita, Think Great: Be Great!
• “The only thing old about you is our friendship, which makes us ancient...” ― Nanette L. Avery
• “I feel so lucky to have you as my friend. Hope your birthday is as special as you are. May all of your dreams come true. Thanks for being such a great friend. Happy birthday!” ― Ahsan Seehar
• “Nothing in life is promised. Each day is a valuable opportunity to play an important role in this world. Treat each moment like it's the performance of a lifetime; approach every day like it's your first, respect it as if you've invested years, appreciate it like it's your last. – HAPPY BIRTHDAY” ― Carlos Wallace
• “Another year of life is a gift from God. May He continue to bless you with strength to conquer your challenges, wisdom to choose your battles carefully, faith that your steps have already been ordered and confidence to trust that no one person or situation can undo what He has already set in motion. - Happy Birthday!” ― Carlos Wallace
• “As you celebrate your special day I hope you are showered with priceless gifts of love, thoughtfulness, friendships, family, laughter and good times. These are just a few simple presents that money can’t buy and that you absolutely deserve! Happy Birthday!” ― Carlos Wallace
• “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined. The best is yet to come, don’t allow your life to become dull. Keep dreaming, hoping and planning. Embrace your day with the confidence, boldness, understanding and focus on moving forward! – HAPPY BIRTHDAY” ― Carlos Wallace
• “Today is a special day that will go by very fast, so let’s take every second to make the most out of every moment.” ― Auliq Ice
• “Having a birthday is like reaching a higher peak on a mountain. Pause to admire the view; reflect on how far you have come.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year
• “God bless you today and always and may all your goals come true.” ― Auliq Ice
• “Have a memorable name day, you deserve to be happy because you are a wonderful person. Happy birthday.” ― Auliq Ice
• “Congratulations on your day.” ― Auliq Ice
Happy birthday young man
Happy Birthday Man - Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
Don’t forget to wish your lovely kids or nephews on their special days with one of these happy birthday man messages.
• “The day you were born, heaven wept at its great loss, earth joyed at its gain.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons: Quotes, Poetry, & a few Short Stories for Every Day of the Year
• “You have the purest heart. May God grant you your heart’s desire. Have fun on your birthday!” — Unknown
• “Among all the young boys I’ve met, you’re the brightest. I pray that you’ll continue to bring brightness to people’s lives. Have fun during your birthday celebration.” — Unknown
• “You’re just a little boy but I know that someday, you’ll turn into a great man – tall, brave and successful. Please stay as sweet as you are now. Don’t forget to smile. Happy, happy birthday!” — Unknown
• “Things are cool these days but there are better things that await you. Enjoy the present but live your life for the future. Happy birthday!” — Unknown
• “You’re a year older today my love but to me, you’re still that cute kid I love. Have a blast with your friends.” — Unknown
• “It’s your special day, my birthday boy. I wish to see you the happiest today. May this birthday be an incredible one. You can count on us. Have a terrific birthday!” — Unknown
Happy birthday to the man I love
Happy Birthday Man - Photo by Katerina Holmes from Pexels
For lovebirds, here are some happy birthday man messages you can send to the man of your dream.
• “I know I don’t always show it, but you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Let’s make your birthday the very special celebration it should be, and I’ll remind you of just how much you mean to me. I love you!” ― Aamir Sarfraz (aamir rajput khan)
• “I may not be physically present to stand by you while you cut your cake, but you’ll be in my thoughts today! Happy Birthday.” ― Aamir Sarfraz (aamir rajput khan)
• “Blessings are waiting, so don't miss the flight. Your Birth Day Gonna be very shiny bright. Look everywhere and adore every single sight. May your BirThDay be filled with chocolates, Cakes & Candle Light. May the happiness hugs you like soo tight. Take me serious, because I am gentle and polite” ― SiD
• “Many times we search for the perfect words to say as well as the right reasons to stay but never have I doubted you and your ability to make me happy. You care about me, you show me your undying love and you understand me on levels that I never thought anyone would. Happy birthday love!” ― Hopal Green
• “Birthdays were made for going wild over the people we think are amazing.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Slaying Dragons: Quotes, Poetry, & a few Short Stories for Every Day of the Year
• “May today be the best birthday of your life, I give you my heart as the most precious gift I can give you and I promise I always will love you.” ― Auliq Ice
• “There are many beautiful songs but I do not dedicate any of them to you because they do not describe the infinite love I feel for you. It is better that I tell you that myself, that I love you with all my strength. Have a happy birthday.” ― Auliq Ice
• “Today you have won a thousand kisses. Happy birthday.” ― Auliq Ice
• “A happy birthday is measured not in the amount one of gifts, but in the amount one is loved.” ― Todd Stocker
• “The day of your birthday is the one I expect the most in the year because I love to surprise you and do everything for us to enjoy wonderful moments together. God bless you today and always and may all your goals come true.” ― Auliq Ice
• “I wish you many congratulations on your birthday.” ― Auliq Ice
• “Today you are fulfilling another year of life and I will do everything to make it a memorable day for you.” ― Auliq Ice
• “In this day you are celebrating one more year of life and I am very happy to be with you.” ― Auliq Ice
• “Thank you for existing.” ― Auliq Ice
• “Today is one of those days that I feel very happy because you celebrate one more year of life.” ― Auliq Ice