the spirit of Maastricht people

Maastricht history heavily influenced Maastricht mentality. First of all we think of Catholicism: severe in theory, but mild for the confessant. Maastricht people know that the soup is not as hot when you eat it as when you dish it up. Second, we think of new rulers turning up again and again throughout the centuries. They come with awful war violence, proclaim severe laws, and depart to be replaced by a new ruler with other laws. The Maastricht people consider how to ignore the new rules without offending authorities. They played off the rulers from Liege against those from Brabant during many centuries.
To be able to live this way, humour and practical jokes are indispensable. Maastricht carnival is unique in the world. Its humour is mild and doesn't violate the dignity of other people. Maastricht people will not boldly deny anything that an other person asks or says. They prefer to demonstrate in a subtle way that they have an other opinion. And, for Maastricht, its dialect is indispensable too. No other city in the Netherlands cherishes its dialect in the same degree. This dialect is a 'sweet language' indeed. High and low society speak this dialect throughout the city. But now there are ten thousand university students from Holland in town.

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