The colder months get a little hectic in farms and pastures. Imagine, if you will, the Netherlands, where four million cattle live and roam, with approximately two million of those being dairy cows. When it gets too cold for them to be outside and as the lush grass outside begins to be covered in flakes of snow, the cattle are ushered indoors to their heated barns and fed hay day in and day out.
But the cows really miss being out in the sun, roaming free, and grazing on all the grass they can eat, so they look forward to the day when they’ll be free again. This event is actually so well-celebrated that every spring, parts of the Netherlands celebrate Koeien in De Wei, an event which translates to “cows in the pasture” and which usually occurs on one of the first Saturdays of spring in April.
It might sound like a strange tradition, but this video shows us exactly why this event is loved by the community! These cows have been cooped up in their barn for a long time, and when the gates open, they can’t contain their excitement. They run outside, jumping and bounding over freshly grown grass, mooing happily as they finally get the chance to be in the warm sun again!
The cows are now free to eat all the grass they want… at least, until the cold seasons come around again! Till then, these cattle will enjoy the chance to eat, run, and play in the sunny green pastures around their farm.