First "Rokjesdag" of the year (Photo: Arianna Ardia)

“Rokjesdag”

What is Rokjesdag or Skirt Day? It is officially the first day on which Dutch women wear skirts with bare legs underneath. 

Every spring the men look forward to Rokjesdag, the day when the temperature is high enough for women to wear summer skirts and bare legs ;-). Well, it can be also dresses and shorts too… works the same way. Yes: women look forward to it too.

It’s an old term, but it was Dutch journalist Martin Bril who popularised the term from 1996 in his column in Het Parool and later in de Volkskrant. For years it was spring in Holland from the moment that Martin Bril had announced the first Rokjesdag in the newspaper. According to him, Rokjesdag is the first day of the spring, when all women, as if by magic, suddenly wear a skirt with bare legs underneath. Here you can find cited the original explanation by Martin Bril himself. But mind that – the term is not meant to be sexist. Not at all! It’s all about having fun and enjoying yourself.

Here is a video from last year of Daan Speelman, inspired by Rokjesdag, created in honour of Martin Bril.

According to news agency Novum the official Rokjesdag must be a sunny day and the temperature must reach at least 20 degrees. I read in the NRC that ‘Rokjesdag’ now has an app that tells you if it’s that day of the year yet.

My association is: finally warm weather, everyone hanging under the sun with a cold beer at the terraces, melling around 18:00 o’clock the burning coals of the starting barbecue grills (typical Dutch “minimum warmth activity”), maybe wearing a skirt or a dress. Maybe because…. Today it will become 20 degrees. Now I write sitting in the sun on a terrace, overlooking the people walking by on the Botermarkt, drinking an espresso. The first Rokjesdag? No idea, I didn’t check the temperature nor the Rokjesdag app yet. But it doesn’t feel warm enough to wear a skirt bare legs. Not a surprise actually as, to be honest, for me, maybe as Italian, 20 degrees is not warm enough for Summer clothes.

And when do you ladies and gents (as men can wear shorts too on Rokjesdag) wear skirts, dresses or shorts with bare legs (in the Netherlands)?  Please, mention your nationality also.

 

Lente in Haarlem

Many outdoor activities in april/mei with myHaarlem. Few skirts/dresses/shorts nevertheless. (Photo: Arianna Ardia)