You can pry Halloween from my cold, witchy fingers

You can pry the pumpkins from the cold, dead hands of our regular columnist Molly Quell, who is going to celebrate Halloween despite some Dutch naysayers.

I am throwing a Halloween party. I like Halloween. It has cooler vibes than other second tier holidays (Valentine’s Day, Easter) and less stress than the major ones (Christmas, and for Americans/Canadians, Thanksgiving.)

I have gotten some pushback, however, from some of the Dutchies in my life, who are balking at the “Americanisation” of it all.

“What about Sint Maarten?” a Dutch friend asked me, half joking. The traditional Dutch holiday is celebrated on November 11, named after a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity. Children carry paper lanterns and go house to house, singing, in exchange for sweets.

“You are welcome to celebrate it,” I said. “I don’t.”

“I don’t celebrate Halloween,” she retorted.

“I’ll put you down as a ‘no’ then,” I said.

If my friend does celebrate Sint Maarten, she’s in the minority even in the Netherlands. By some estimates, only 30% of kids are out slinging their lanterns (or in some places, hollowed out turnips) for sweet rewards.

In Utrecht the holiday is celebrated widely, as Sint Maarten is the city’s patron saint. Further afield, however, there’s barely a single flame out on a chilly November evening.

Halloween, on the other hand, is everywhere. Hema has pumpkin candles and Takkie in a witch’s hat. There’s trick-or-treating for kids in community centres, spooky canal tours in Amsterdam, horror movies at every Pathé across the country.

That’s significantly better than a hollowed out turnip.

I admit, the broader point my friend was making is correct. American culture is becoming increasingly dominant and, as many become disillusioned with the United States under the current administration, there will be more and more backlash to things seen as symbols of the country.

There are a lot of American things the Netherlands shouldn’t import. I am on record  saying we should ban American influencers from moving here. I am also opposed to importing prudish attitudes towards sex.

Takkie in his little witch’s hat is adorable and I am choosing to defend his (and my) right to celebrate Halloween.

I’ve always been a little surprised that Dutch people don’t embrace Halloween more. They love to dress up in absurd costumes for every other holiday. Have you seen Brabant during Carnival?

Plus, there aren’t really any holidays in autumn. In fact, earlier this year I argued that rather than making Liberation Day (May) a public holiday, as prime minister Rob Jetten suggested, we do Prinsjesdag (September) instead.

Half the country shuts down anyway for the annual announcement of the budget (in 2026, this was even more true, as the train lines were sabotaged) and there’s even a bit of a costume element with the hats.

We need something to celebrate in the fall to take our minds off the impending darkness of winter and Halloween is already right there. It already has built-in rituals, themed food (I will die on this hill defending candy corn) and no obligation to spend time with family.

While the pumpkin spice lattes and the knife-wielding maniacs on film may be an American export, Halloween doesn’t originate in the United States. Historians think it started as a Celtic pagan festival and was taken across the pond by Irish and Scottish immigrants.

And what is a bigger rebuff to the current American administration than celebrating immigration?