What is a “Cobra 6” firework?
Vuurwerkwaarschuwing met een flinke cobra 6
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
A Cobra 6 is the heaviest illegal consumer firework category in the Netherlands, banned outright since 2020 after years of injuries. The “6” is the mortar-shell number, and a Cobra 6 packs roughly six grams of flash powder; the heavier Cobra 8 is also illegal. They get smuggled in from Poland and the Czech Republic each December, and police seize tens of thousands every year. The Dutch vuurwerkdebat flares up every New Year, with cities like Rotterdam and Amsterdam pushing for full consumer-fireworks bans.
In this AT5 clip, a fireworks demonstrator warns the camera before lighting one: “Doe even de oren dicht. Dat is een behoorlijke buiker. En dat is niet het zwaarste wat we hebben.”
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Harder words in this video
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch year-end firework reportage (NOS, AT5, RTL Nieuws, AD)
- ▸In Dutch police-and-customs press (Politie.nl, Douane, Openbaar Ministerie)
- ▸In broadsheet annual fireworks-debate columns (NRC, De Volkskrant, Trouw)
- ▸In Dutch trauma-and-eye-clinic warnings (Oogvereniging, Brandwondenstichting, Vuurwerkcheck)