Feast day of the king
The feast of the king ( French Fête du Roi ; Dutch Koningsdag ) is a Belgian feast day on November 15 in honor of the king , which is not a national holiday.
date
After Belgium gained independence in 1830, Leopold I was elected King of the Belgians and took his oath on the constitution on July 21, 1831 . This became a national holiday in 1890 . Under Leopold I (1831 - 1865) his birthday was celebrated on December 16 and the "day of the oath" on July 21. Under his successor Leopold II (1865 - 1909), who was a Catholic, his name day was celebrated instead of his birthday from 1866 onwards, November 15 as the anniversary of the death of St. Leopold III. of Austria (1073 - 1136).
The successor, Albert I (1909 - 1934) moved the festival day to November 26th , his name day after St. Albert (Adalbert) von Oberaltaich . However, since his mother Maria Luise von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen died on that day in 1912 , he moved the festival back to November 15th. After the First World War , November 11th became an official holiday in 1922 , the Armistice Day in 1918. Since November 15th was only four days later, the day of the festival was decided upon by the then very influential Cardinal and Archbishop of Belgium Désiré-Joseph Mercier moved to November 27 , which was determined as the new name day of Albertus Magnus . Albert the Great (around 1200 - 1280) was beatified as early as 1622 , but only on December 16, 1931 by Pope Pius XI. has been canonized . This then set the name day of November 15, the day of death of Albert the Great.
When King Leopold III took office. (King 1934 - 1951) the king's feast day was finally set on November 15, which was now the name day for Leopold and Albert.
Surname
Under Leopold II, the day was celebrated as the name day of His Majesty the King (French: Fête Patronale de Sa Majesté le Roi ; Dutch : Naamfeest van Zijne Majesteit de Koning ).
During the reign of Prince Karl (1944 - 1950), the Belgian government decided in 1945 to rededicate the day to the feast day of the dynasty (French: Fête Patronale de la Dynastie ; Dutch: Feest van de Dynastie ) to indicate that the King is absent.
Shortly after his accession to the throne in 1952, King Baldwin (1951-1993) stipulated that November 15th should only be called the King's Festival from now on . In spite of this, and in spite of a corresponding ordinance by the Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Jean Van Houtte from 1953, the "Day of the Dynasty" is still often mistakenly spoken of.
ceremony
Until 2000 the feast of the king was celebrated with a Te Deum in the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg , under the direction of the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels as the primate of the Catholic Church in Belgium .
Since 2001 there has been an official non-denominational ceremony at noon in the Palace of the Nation , the seat of Parliament and the Senate , in which honors are given to deserving citizens and national medals are awarded. These include the Order of the Crown , the Order of Leopold II and the Order of Leopold .
In the mornings, on the initiative of the church, there is still a Te Deum in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels , in which the royal family takes part.
holiday
The feast of the King on November 15th is a day off in the national ("federal") authorities, as well as in some other public institutions.
In the Belgian army a banquet in honor of the king is held on the day ( Repas de Corps )
November 15th is also a public holiday at Ghent University .
The German-speaking Community has chosen November 15 as its public holiday since 1990 , because "as a minority they want to place themselves under the very special care of the head of state".
proof
- ↑ Jeroen Janssens: De Belgische natie fourth. Belgian national festivals 1830–1914. Universitaire Pers Leuven, Leuven 2001, ISBN 90-5867-175-5 .
- ^ Website of the Royal Military Academy: French
- ^ Official website of the Belgian monarchy
- ↑ Discussion about the DG's feast day is picking up speed , in: Grenzecho from April 16, 2012