Last updated: 6 July, 2024 @ 08:20
Following a two-year break, the famous Vlaggetjesdag, or Little Flags Day, festival returned to Scheveningen, near Den Haag, in the Netherlands.
More than 200,000 visitors gathered to celebrate the arrival of the season’s first Herring.
To mark the start of the festival, the traditional auction of the first barrel of Herring takes place.
Traditionally, the barrel holds Herring known as ‘Hollandse Nieuw’, which must contain a body fat percentage of at least 16%. These Herring are considered to be the best of the catch.
‘Full-fat Herring’
This year, the barrel sold for a record €111,500 to the Association of Dutch Fish Specialists. Proceeds from the auction will go to an ambulance charity.
The jury at the auction praised the quality of the first barrel, with the Herring containing a body fat of around 22%.
The jury went on to say that 2022 looks to be a year for ‘beautiful, full-fat Herring’,
Making fresh Herring
Arthem, a fish market worker, told Euronews why he thought the festival was so special:
“It’s a nice day and people are happy. We are making Herring for them, fresh Herring, and giving it away so that they can taste it.”
“And the fun is that a lot of people who come here have never tasted it before and they like it. So then we have a good day also,” he explained.
The Dutch Herring market
The Dutch Herring market is said to be worth €150m a year, with Dutchnews.nl reporting that ‘shopkeepers who decide to sell the fish before the official start date face fines running into thousands of euros’.