IntroductionThere is a lot to learn about the Netherlands, as I have never visited the country or even known anyone from the Netherlands. What little I know about the Netherlands comes from popular culture or cinema, which is biased and limited at best. Initially, for my article, I looked at photos or other images of the Netherlands to understand if there was an "attraction" or "image" associated with the Netherlands. The only thing I can deduce from these images is that the Netherlands has a very dynamic and colorful character. The images seem full of positive energy; the people who compose them display a feeling of fulfillment. This article will review the political structure of the Netherlands, cultural holidays and celebrations, religion, as well as art and architecture. GovernmentThe Netherlands has the structure of a constitutional monarchy. This means that a queen or king rules the country. Over the years, the powers of the queen or king became primarily ceremonial rather than absolute (“Netherlands – Politics,” nd). Under the queen or king, a prime minister is appointed and heads the government. Generally, the Prime Minister is the one who leads the main party in the Dutch parliament (“Netherlands – Politics”, nd). Added to this is what we call the “Council of State”. The queen or king decides on this group once the prime minister has given his directives. The “Council of State” is responsible for developing and organizing government policies (“Netherlands – Politics”, nd). The parliament is called the Estates General and is a two-chamber legislative body. The two chambers are known as the First Chamber and Second Chamber. These two chambers have a total of 225 members. Elections are...... middle of paper...... in the UK or Canada. It is the second day of Christmas and is also known as St. Stephen's Day. Many businesses are closed and people usually have a day off (“National Holidays,” n.d.). Sinterklaas is an interesting celebration. Sinterklaas is Saint Nicholas. A little different from the traditional North American Santa Claus, he arrives in the Netherlands by steamboat! He has gifts on the boat, and helpers too. Although the helpers are not the elf type, they are known as Black Pete and are companions of Saint Nicholas. Sinterklaas dresses in red and wears a headdress. He travels the lands on horseback, delivering gifts through chimneys with the help of Black Peters. When wrapping gifts, people deliberately try to hide the contents through creativity and cleverness (“National Holidays,” n.d..).