Due to the growing prosperity and wealth at the beginning of the Golden Age, a specific youth culture emerged in the higher circles of society, with a lot of attention for fashion, music, drinking and smoking. The preachers of the 17th century were not happy about that and grumbled about that licentious youth.
“How often people hang out in the street late, even after midnight, young people hunting, screaming, singing, yelling and cursing, harassing others and polluting the street:and they seem to have a lot of fun doing it. have too.”
This grumbling is not from an elderly person in 2013; no, this was written down in 1644 by a minister on Vlieland. He is disappointed with the young people hanging around who cause a nuisance on the street. And he's not the only one concerned about young people. Grumbling about 'the youth of today' is really of all times.
At the beginning of the 17 e century, more specifically in the twenties and thirties, the increased prosperity created a specific youth culture, especially in the higher social classes in the region of Holland. While there is still plenty of fighting against the Spaniards on the fringes of the Republic, Holland is beginning to flourish:people are starting to earn a lot of money in cities that are bursting at the seams and where everything is available.
Some of these new rich indulge in clothes, houses, and expensive trinkets and fabrics. So the children of these new riches are growing up in a whole new world of peace and prosperity. These children do not have to start working as soon as they are old enough, but they can continue their education and have money to spend themselves. And they do:a lot of money is spent on clothing, smoking and music. They also rebel against their parents, who did not grow up in the same opulence and are therefore 'hopelessly old-fashioned'.
Long hair and vanity
It is becoming fashionable for young men to grow their hair and grow a neat beard. They will also wear colorful puffers with bows and ribbons. Instead of millstone collars, it is becoming 'in' to wear flat collars. The shirt can hang out of the pants and you wear a cape loosely over your shoulder. This is inspired by what soldiers looked like at that time. The fashion at foreign royal courts also influences what is hip and in.
Many pastors find that colorful fashion and long hair effeminate. In 1643, preacher (or minister) Godefridus Udemans wrote a piece of 406 pages about the hair alone. He also uses the Bible to explain why long hair is sinful. The hair issue is even discussed at the annual church meeting!
Not that it helps much. Young people hardly care about that criticism and let their hair grow long and hang loose.
Many a preacher is also disturbed by the vanity of young ladies. That is superficial and only distracts from a godly life. Simon Simonides, pastor in Rotterdam, writes indignantly:“Just go and have a look in any girl's room. What do you find there? On the table nothing but boxes with gel and powder, bottles with perfume, powders and other junk to smear on the face and thus throw dust on dreck. If there is a book, it is a love book, with some love story or other crazy stories in it. There is usually not a religious book, neither bible, nor will to be found in such a room.” (freely translated after Simon Simonides, 1658).
Smoking and drinking
Just as today, the youth of the seventeenth century do not care much for grumbling. They have a good time playing cards, drinking, dancing and singing. It is heavily drunk by young and old. The water is not safe to drink, so children are already drinking beer at a young age. At least that's been hot. The blood alcohol level of beer was lower in the seventeenth century than it is today. Young people in the Golden Age drink plenty of beer, wine, but also spirits. Especially students can benefit from it. There are all kinds of drinking songs and drinking games where the aim is to drink as much as possible.
Drinking often goes hand in hand with smoking, which was the newest of the newest at the time and therefore hip among young people. Tobacco has just come along with the voyages of discovery from the New World and the wealthier young people born around 1600 are the first to start smoking.
At first, this is still being done experimentally among medical students in Leiden, where tobacco is grown in the university's botanical garden. Tobacco is then a lot stronger than it is today, so it must have been intoxicating as well. In some paintings and prints depicting smokers, the users look quite stoned.
Of course, in the seventeenth century, people also grumbled about smoking. Not because it is so unhealthy, but mainly because it is a waste and does not suit a pious and good life. Pastor Samuel Ampzing from Haarlem writes the following mocking verse:
“Smoking is my passion, drinking beer is my life; But I'd rather give up my pipe than my mug; I'm a stinking bitch, I'm a drunken slut; I like to smoke too much, and I like beer even more.” (freely translated to Samuel Ampzing, 1633).
Say it with a song
There is a lot of singing in the Golden Age. There are songs for all occasions, often conveniently bound together in a song book. One of the songbooks kept in the University Library of Amsterdam is printed so small on purpose that your grandma can't read it and can't take offense at the sometimes bawdy lyrics.
A well-known songwriter from that time was Jan Jansz. Starter. In 1621 he gives the songbook Friesche Lust-hof mainly love songs, drinking songs, songs of praise about smoking, and a few "occasional songs," such as wedding songs. For the television series The Golden Age songwriter Tim Knol made an adaptation of a 17th century song. Look for the result and the making of from the song Cold Woman on the series' website, under episode 7 Modern Manners .
Writing a song is a good way to pick on someone in the early modern period – just as it is now. Because also dating is of course part of youth culture. In the Golden Age you are usually looking for someone to marry from the same background and, if possible, of the same faith and age. The freedom to marry whoever you wanted is relatively great, but decreases as the social class increases. In the higher strata of society, marriage is mainly seen as a key way to bind families together, because in the Golden Age:'you have to have it from your family'.
Dating
But how do you get the man/woman? The answer is:make love. 'Making love' is the general term for intercourse before marriage in the seventeenth century. Dating So. There are booklets in circulation with tips for that courtship, often adaptations of the work of the Roman poet Ovid. Around the turn of the century, he wrote a handbook for 'loving' and that became an outright bestseller in the seventeenth-century Dutch adaptation. One of those adaptations is by Johan van Heemskerck and is called Minnekunst (Amsterdam 1622). Another is by Jacob Westerbaan (The Hague 1665) and is called Evening school for suitors .
These self-help books avant-la-lettre are full of tips for the single. For example, where do you meet other nice singles? In the countryside, fairs and fairs are suitable meeting places for young people. The following applies to cities:take to the streets on Sundays. Both Van Heemskerck and Westerbaan map out a whole route in the book on which you can easily meet other young people. Church and theater are also suitable meeting places. According to Van Heemskerck, if you've seen someone nice, you should try to strike up a conversation:
‘Soeckt here with aerdigheyd to praet to raecken:Kout (kout =talk) soo what to go at first, and of mean saecken.’
The initiative must come from the man, continues Van Heemskerck:'It is up to the suitors to take the first step; the girl will do enough if she answers him, allows him to talk and remains polite. Pray that you will have her, but they are only prayers:take action too, then you will see that you will be bitten,' (freely translated from Minne-kunst van Heemskerck).
Getting to know a girl or boy at a wedding or party is also possible, but as a general tip, you have to keep your alcohol intake in check, otherwise you won't know what you'll come home with. There are also tips on how to show the man. Be cared for, provide fresh breath, be gallant and bring presents. It helps to show some emotion, you can beg, pray, cheat and pretend. Another tip:if the tears do not come naturally, you can moisten the eyes with your hand. It also doesn't hurt to arouse a little jealousy.
The authors of the courtship books also warn against starting dating, . too late because before you know it you're a spinster:
'If ghy, ere thou knowest it, become an old woman, sult on a single bed without wasting time; sult layghen unconsoled, sult layghen unprayed, with displeasure in the face, with a cry in the limbs'.( Van Heemskerck, p96-98)
Here you will find even more information about the new riches of the Golden Age, youth culture, music and fashion. You can also see Tim Knol, who made an arrangement of a song from the 17th century. The broadcast about youth culture will be broadcast on Tuesday 22 January 2013 , at 8.25 pm on Nederland 2.