The annual Easter cattle exhibition in Schagen is in full swing. Ten days before Easter, the beef cattle are exhibited around the church on the Market Square. The festival remains immensely popular in Schagen and the surrounding area, but the different generations experience it differently. What is it all about: an age-old tradition or is it just a good excuse to party?
“I actually don’t find those thick buttocks that interesting anymore,” admits Lisette Blokker (31). “Because I’m a vegetarian.” As a native of Schagenaar, Blokker grew up with the party. For her, this tradition is really about socializing with family and (old) friends. “It’s actually just one big reunion for the people of Schagen.”
The older generation
Traditionally, the Easter cattle exhibition was the time for farmers in the area to trade and network. The latter was often done in the pub back then. Why this tradition has stuck in Schagen is still a guess. “That will also be due to the catering industry,” Blokker suspects. For the pubs it is very busy every year during the party. “And to the active and dedicated organization of course.”
Kees de Veer was part of that organization for 27 years, for him the party is not just about fun. “The most important thing is the big buttocks. And that’s a fantastic sight and we were also lucky with the weather today. It’s just like the carnival in the south,” he says enthusiastically.
He doesn’t think it is said that the party has changed over the years. “In the morning you have the exhibition and the market stalls and in the evening the party. That has always been the case. After 27 years I was no longer secretary and now I can finally see clearly what is happening on this day. Previously I had no time for that at all.”
Kees understands that many young people just come to party and drink. “After the corona period, it is a joy for young people to experience this again. As long as they have fun.”
Easter cattle without cattle?
Although Blokker herself is a vegetarian, she has no major objections to showing the cattle ten days before slaughter. “This is also part of the meat industry,” she explains. “Now people can just see it in front of their own noses.”
Although she does notice that most visitors to the party only leave for the center in the afternoon. According to her, they no longer come to look at the cows. Nowadays it is mainly about the fun on the market. “There are also only one or two nice pubs left in Schagen, so this is of course a good excuse to party.”
The question of whether it is conceivable that the feast will ever be celebrated without the cattle is somewhat uncomfortable for both generations. “Easter cattle is not possible without the big buttocks,” says Kees. “I think there will still be enough people to come,” Blokker suspects. “But then you have to call it something else, the Spring Festival or something.”