# verjaardagskalender



## alisonp

I recently saw a load of merchandising stuff that had been brought over from the Netherlands, including "verjaardagskalender".  These appear to be what we in the UK, at least, refer to as "engagement calendars", i.e. ones with a space to write notes for each day of the year.  Does this reflect a subtle cultural distinction between Dutch and English?: do the Dutch really use them for writing people's birthdays on more than for appointments, trips etc.?  Most people I know in the UK use them for things like doctor's/hospital appointments, children's after-school activities, theatre trips and so on.

Just curious ...


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## Freston

In many Dutch bathrooms hangs one of those birthday calenders. It is very common. People use it for remembering birthdays and special dates such as wedding dates.


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## JanWillem

Yeah usually it's only birthdays and other anniversaries. 
They (mostly) don't mention the day of the week, so you can use them year after year, and add names/events.
But the Marjolein Bastin drawings on them are so ugly that we only allow them in the toilet


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## jippie

So you don't use this kind of calendars in the UK??? It's very handy, and to avoid the Marjolein Bastin designs a lot of people make their own verjaardagskalender with pictures from their kids, pets, beautiful landscapes, or whatever... Always a good gift for someone's birthday! By the way, another reason why they hang on the toilet is to make sure you don't forget someone's birthday, as you visit it several times a day with nothing else to do but sitting there  It tems from the time when there were no computerized reminders etc. I didn't know it is a tradition only in the Netherlands. A good question for the cultural forum!


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## alisonp

Ah, I see what the difference is now, I think: a _verjaardagskalender_ isn't year-specific, so presumably you can keep it on the wall for a few years until you get tired of it?  I think those are know as "perpetual calendars" in English.  (I didn't think to look and see if the samples I saw had dates on at all).  "Engagement calendars" are actually more like diaries in calendar-form, i.e. you write down all your appointments on them, so have to get a new one each year.

Thanks to everyone - it's been an interesting eye-opener!


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## Lugubert

jippie said:


> I didn't know it is a tradition only in the Netherlands.


Not only there. Mother has had one for donkey's years. Every few years, she gets another one and copies all birthdays to the new one. Her only Dutch influence has been chocolate.

At 90+, she's reminding me on birthdays to observe. I'm hopeless in that department, except that it's almost a game between me and my ex-wife to beat the other party to the first e-mail on our wedding anniversary.


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## mylasalle

Hello Lugubert

I'm a native of the Philippines and I work with a multinational company. Lately, we've been receiving some documents in Swedish and I really hope you can help me with some words that do not appear in the translator. 

If it won't be too much of a bother, I hope to get your help with an urgent phrase that reads "Duo pump med gaf." I can't seem to figure out what the last word means. So far I've been able to determine it to mean "Dual pump with ____."

If it will help, this is a document from the Shell company and it appears to relate to the various parts in a gasoline station.

I really hope you can help Lugubert.

Thank you.


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