Grou (Dutch: Grouw[1]) is a town in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and had around 5655 citizens in January 2017.[2] Since 2014 Grou is part of the municipality of Leeuwarden.
It used to be the capital of the municipality of Idaarderadeel [fy] before the reorganization of municipalities in 1984, and capital of the municipality of Boarnsterhim until 2014.
While the rest of the Netherlands celebrates Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) on December 5, Grou instead celebrates a unique local variation of this children's holiday known as Sint-Piter [fy] on February 21. In local lore Sint Piter is a distinct character separate from Saint Nicholas, and was historically known as the patron saint for local fishermen.[4]
A nickname for the town is Tsiisferdûnsers, meaning cheese dancers, from a story where a fiddler was paid with cheese at a village dance.[citation needed]