Holland is a
region in the western part of the
Netherlands. The term
Holland is also
frequently used as a
pars
pro toto to refer to the whole of the Netherlands. This usage is generally
accepted but disliked by part of the Dutch population, especially in the other
parts of the Netherlands.
[1]
From the 10th to the
16th century, Holland proper was a unified political region, a
county ruled by the
Counts of Holland. By the 17th century,
Holland had risen to become a maritime and economic power, dominating the other
provinces of the
Dutch
Republic.
The proper name of the
area in both Dutch and English is "Holland". "Holland" is a part of the
Netherlands. "Holland" is informally used in English and other languages, including
sometimes the Dutch
language itself, to mean the whole of the modern country of the Netherlands.[5] (This example of pars pro toto or synecdoche is similar to the
tendency to refer to the United Kingdom as "England".)
The people of Holland are referred to as "Hollanders" in both Dutch and
English. Today this refers specifically to people from the current provinces of
North Holland and South Holland. Strictly speaking, the term "Hollanders" does
not refer to people from the other provinces in the Netherlands, but
colloquially "Hollanders" is sometimes mistakenly used in this wider sense.
In Dutch, the Dutch word
"Hollands" is the adjectival form for "Holland". The Dutch word
"Hollands" is also colloquially and occasionally used by some Dutch
people in the sense of "Nederlands" (Dutch), but then often with the
intention of contrasting with other types of Dutch people or language, for
example Limburgish, the Belgian form of the Dutch language
("Flemish"), or even any southern
variety of Dutch within the Netherlands itself.
However, in English there is no commonly used adjective for "Holland".
"Dutch" refers to the Netherlands as a whole, not just the region of Holland.
"Hollands" is ordinarily expressed in English in two ways:
- a possessive construction
(e.g. "Holland's economic power"); or
- an "of Holland" or "from Holland" construction (e.g. "the Maid of Holland";
"a girl from Holland").
The following usages apply in certain limited situations but do not
ordinarily serve as the English equivalent of the commonly used Dutch adjective
"Hollands".
- Occasionally, the noun
"Holland" is used in apposition
(e.g. "the Holland Society").
- The adjective
"Hollandic" is occasionally used by some historians and other academic writers
as an adjective for Holland. Historians who use the word tend to reserve it to
pre-Napoleonic Holland. Hollandic
is also the name linguists give to the dialect spoken in Holland.
- The adjective "Hollandish" is a word in English but is no longer in use.
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Tulip Festival in Holland
Dutch tulips are found in several areas. There are tulips in the Westland,
tulips in North Holland and also in the Noordoostpolder. But did you know that
the Noordoostpolder has the most tulips of the whole country? The Tulip Festival
was created to introduce you to the tulip fields in the Noordoostpolder.
Tulips to admire in the Noordoostpolder
Every year thousands of people come to see the tulip fields of the
Noordoostpolder. The tulip bulbs that were planted a few months ago, have now
transformed acres of land into a colorful spectacle.
The Tulip Festival offers a special route which takes you along the most
beautiful and panoramic tulip fields in this polder. You can choose between
hiking, biking, horse carriage rides and covered wagon tours. You can also
combine your tulip tour with cultural attractions and culinary experiences. You
can stay overnight at numerous campsites and farms.
Tulips in Spring
The Noordoostpolder organizes many special activities during the Tulip
Festival. You can enjoy walks, cycling routes, tulip garden shows, mosaic
pathways, photography competitions, blossom routes and many more fun activities.
You can consult the event calendar and download tulip routes from the website of
the
Tulip Festival. In short, there
is a lot to experience in the coming spring season at the
Noordoostpolder.