When you celebrate your 50th birthday in the Netherlands, the Dutch residents refer to this as meeting Sarah 50 jaar if you are female, or meeting Abraham 50 jaar if you are male.

Among the celebrations for the 50th birthday in the Netherlands is often a song that indicates that the birthday child or girl is older and greyer than in the past. As more foreigners move here, traditional Dutch birthdays are eroding. When you turn 50, you see companies holding plaster posters announcing Fred Abraham.

The Dutch have big birthdays because they know it's your birthday, and they force you to celebrate it by setting up a celebration for them. Your Dutch friends and colleagues will not forget that your birthday is yours, they will remember it with their birthday calendars, just like we do.

In general, the Dutch are very satisfied with the gifts. Don't be surprised if the Dutch express their honest opinion about the gift.

The guests of a typical Dutch birthday party are a mixture of friends, family and other acquaintances. It is customary for at least three or four generations of the family to be present, with a maximum limit determined by the average human lifespan.