Religion
Because the Netherlands has always been strongly internationally oriented, there are a great many immigrants. As a result a large number of different cultures and religions co-exist, where everyone is free to observe their own religion. The Dutch are originally Christians, but nowadays less than half of the Dutch officially belong to a religious community. After the Reformation, that took place in the 16th century, a large part of the Netherlands adopted the protestant denomination, while the rest remained Catholic. Moreover, there is a firmly rooted Jewish tradition. State and religion are separated, although there are political parties on a religious basis.
Many official holidays are based on Christian holidays such as Easter, Christmas, Whitsunday and Ascension Day.