@NaphtaliPress
Source:H. Bouwman "Gereformeerd Kerkrecht" (translated from the Dutch by Google)
http://kerkrecht.nl/node/2734
"Also in the Netherlands the church leaders initially tried to abolish all the holidays. The synod of 1574 determined that one would be satisfied with Sunday alone, and that on the Sunday before Christmas Day the birth of Christ would be dealt with, but it allowed the servants on Easter and Pentecost. the history of the resurrection and mission of the Holy Spirit would preach. But because some other feast days were maintained by authority of the government, the synod of 1578 allowed preaching on the second feast days, as well as on New Year's Day and Ascension Day, to prevent idleness and debauchery. But the churches would try to abolish the holidays as much as possible apart from 'the Christday.' The synod of Middelburg (1581, Art. 50) also included the Ascension Day among the obligatory holidays. But the synod of 1586 in The Hague limited the recognized holidays only to Sunday, Christmas Day, Passover and Pentecost. But in places where - by order of the government - more feast days in memory of the mercies of Christ, such as those of the circumcision of Christ and the Ascension Day, were held, the preachers had to preach "the membership of the people in a holy and useful service change." The situation was thus at the beginning of the 17th century such that Christmas Day, Passover and Pentecost were generally maintained for the following days, but there was a difference over the circumcision day of Christ or the New Year's Day and the Ascension Day. In some places in Utrecht and in South Holland they began to also celebrate Good Friday, but there was serious opposition to this. And then when several provinces put a question to the General Synod of Dordrecht (1618/19) to come to unanimous observance of the feast days, the synod decided, the celebration of New Year's Day or the day of the circumcision of Christ and the Ascension Day, which was already maintained in most Dutch cities and provinces, to sanction, especially to meet the wishes of the government. The churches were in principle against it, but the government was there for, not only to satisfy the people, but also because, according to the old custom, she then held vacation days. And because on those days the people were at risk of going into idleness or unrestrained frenzy, the ecclesiastics thought it better to tolerate these days as religious holidays, and to accustom the people to preaching on those days. Yet the voice of the opposition continued to rise. Voetius declares that the holidays have been tolerated by the churches, but have not been approved in any way. And it took a long time before people in all provinces had conformed to the decision of the Dordrecht synod. In some places the Circumcision Festival, such as in Dordrecht, was introduced very late, while in Amsterdam and in Zeeland it was not celebrated at all."