Celebrating Lazybones
Lazybones or Luilakken is a local tradition in the regions North-Holland (Amsterdam, Zaanstreek) and South-Holland (Den Haag, Delft). Although Lazybones preceeds Pentecost, this activity has nothing religious whatsoever. Lazybones is to mock and wake up all the late risers and late-comers. So, it's not really my favorite happening.
Kids get up very early (4 a.m.) and make noise in the streets with rattles, empty cans and pans and sing songs. They also smear butter, soap, flour and egg on windows to force the lazybones to do some extra work. Sometimes they make Lazybones bonfires with a John Lazybones puppet on top.
Lazybones was an innocent tradition until some adolescents realized it was a good excuse for more severe vandalism. Again, not my kind of fun...
