The first edition of the religious festival Spirit of Amsterdam: “We all live in this city”

Ahead of the city’s 750th anniversary, the religious festival The Spirit of Amsterdam takes place for the first time this weekend. For three days, visitors can visit more than thirty houses of worship to learn about each other’s religion and culture. With a full program including dance, art and music, the group hopes that people will visit each other sooner.

This year is the first time that The Spirit of Amsterdam takes place. Everyone is welcome to observe and participate in activities in synagogues, mosques and churches, among others. Rikko Voorberg is one of those who organized the festival and he hopes that this will put places of worship on the map. “There are very beautiful places of worship inside, but they are not visited enough. We hope that this festival will also show more of this,” Voorburg explains. From funny dancing in the church to meditation in the temple, each religion opens its doors with a creative twist.

a light bird

The festival starts on Friday in the Noorderkerk in the Jordaan with a workshop led by the artist Jurrian van den Haak. Participants make a light bird from bamboo paper and kites, in honor of a loved one or someone they have lost.

The originally Catholic Murthe also takes part in this in memory of her deceased mother. “I feel that faith and my mother are a source of inspiration,” says Murthe. In addition, Voorberg explains why this festival is so important now. We all live in a ‘ this city.”

There will also be a suitable event on Saturday for visitors who prefer to watch rather than be creative. More than ten Amsterdam church choirs come together in the Old Lutheran Church on the Singel, ranging from Orthodox to Slavic. Each choir plays for fifteen minutes and visitors can enjoy the stories from the history of these churches in between. “It’s time for us to look for each other, listen to each other and give each other space,” explained minister Andreas Wöhle.

The Spirit of Amsterdam activity can still be visited until tomorrow. For example, you can attend your own funeral in the Keizersgracht Church or attend a dance performance in the Great Synaoge Jewish Museum.