Immersing Oneself in Dutch Culture through Klaverjassen

Nowadays, many people travel to Europe for the sole purpose of conducting business and earning money. However, there are also other people who travel for the sole purpose of seeing places and experiencing the culture in that part of the world. There many interesting places to visit in Europe but if you ever happen to find yourself visiting the Netherlands, then you’ve got a few options on how to best immerse yourself in Dutch culture. One of the best ways to get in touch with Dutch Culture is to learn how to play Klaverjassen.

Though the word might sound alien and strange to you, this word is one of the most well known words in the world of card games. Klaverjassen is known all over Europe as one of the best trick taking cards games out there. Though it is widespread all over Europe, it is not nearly as important to other Europeans as it is to the Dutch people in the Netherlands. Klaverjassen is significant in the Netherlands primarily because it is the country’s national card game.

Though quite an unconventional method when compared to taking pictures of the Dutch countryside or buying wooden shoes for souvenirs, learning to play Klaverjassen offers you much more in the end. If your ultimate goal is to immerse yourself in Dutch culture then you should know that it doesn’t get any more engrossed than this. You should also know that Klaverjassen has a high cultural significance in the Netherlands. Not only is mainly due to the fact that the game is played by many of its people but also due to the fact that even people who’ve migrated to this country came to love and play the game as their own.

When learning to play Klaverjassen in its country of origin always remember to have fun, its not every day you get to do this sort of thing. If you’re quite new to trick taking card games, don’t worry about not getting the gist of it at the very beginning. Although Klaverjassen is known to be an easy game to learn, most people get the hang of it only after a few games have gone by. So just relax and be a sponge and just soak up all the basics. Though playing the game is the best way to learn the in and outs, bear in mind that observing others can have many benefits as well. Not only will it give you an idea of how to handle certain situations but it’ll also give you an idea of how a Klaverjassen player should conduct himself or herself throughout a game.
Jan Kaas is specialized in writing about klaverjassen and online klaverjassen.