Did you know that it is far easier to go to heaven in Dutch than in English? The reason is simple. The Dutch word hemel means both heaven and sky. So it does not matter if you have been naughty or not, or whether God likes you or not… Just take a plane or a big balloon and that will do the trick!
By the way, there is special day called Hemelvaart, in English Ascension Day. In Dutch this word literally means heaven going or heaven sailing, as vaart comes from the Dutch varen which means to sail and in some cases, it also means to go…
This is one great example again that many Dutch people make great sense if you look at it. Heavensailing or hemelvaart is quite a logical word for Ascension Day, don’t you think?
One little small detail however… There is a small difference. In Dutch you always say: de hemel & de hel. In English you always say it without the. De hemel is beter dan de hel would be in English: heaven is better than hell…
Also, just for your information, for Dutch people it seems that there are more heavens. Somehow heaven 7 is really really good. If you say: ik ben in de zevende hemel(I am in the seventh heaven) it means that you really feel happy. Therefore, if you like to go to heaven this Ascension Day, make sure that you pick number 7. Then you will have a great time!
