Koningsdag

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People dressed in orange on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam (2010)
A flea market in Amsterdam's Vondelpark on Koninginnedag 2007

Koningsdag ( German  King's Day ) or Koninginnedag ? / i ( German Queen's Day ) is a national holiday in the Netherlands (including the special communities in the Caribbean ), in Curaçao , in Sint Maarten and in Aruba . On this day the Dutch celebrate the birthday of the king or queen. Since 2014 it has been celebrated in honor of King Willem-Alexander on April 27th (April 26th if April 27th is a Sunday). Until 2013 it was called Koninginnedag and usually took place on April 30th every year. Audio file / audio sample  

On this occasion, many Dutch people dress in orange (color of the royal family of Orange ) and celebrate nationwide with parades, folk festivals and concerts. The flea markets, where everyone can sell, are characteristic. This day's income is tax-free. Besides the Amsterdam Gay Pride , the Koningsdag in Amsterdam is the biggest festival event. In some cities, Koningsnacht is also celebrated the evening before.

history

The Prinsessedag and the Koninginnedag under Queen Wilhelmina and Juliana (1889–1980)

In 1889 the day was celebrated for the first time as "Princess Day" on the occasion of Princess Wilhelmina's birthday on August 31. The day was introduced by the government of the time to affirm national unity and to replace the local harvest festivals. After the death of King Wilhelm III. on November 23, 1890 the crown passed to Wilhelmina and so in 1891 the first "Queen's Day" was celebrated. Queen Wilhelmina and her family did not attend the celebrations. Since the Queen's Day was also the last day of the school holidays, it also developed into a feast day for children.

The royal family at the great parade at Palais Soestdijk in the time of Queen Juliana , here in 1960.

When Princess Juliana was enthroned as Queen in September 1948 , the Koninginnedag 1949 was moved to her birthday, April 30th. Citizens honored the Queen and her family with a kilometer-long parade along the steps of Soestdijk Castle with flowers and gifts. This flower scene was televised from the mid-1950s. It was only during the reign of Queen Juliana that Queen's Day was declared an official holiday. If April 30 fell on a Sunday, the holiday was moved earlier to Monday and then coincided with Labor Day . Since 1980 it has been brought forward to Saturday.

The Koninginnedag under Queen Beatrix (1981–2012)

Queen Beatrix and Prince Willem-Alexander on Koninginnedag 2007 in Woudrichem

In her speech to the throne on the occasion of the change of the throne on April 30, 1980, Queen Beatrix stipulated that April 30 should remain a national holiday in memory of her mother, Queen Juliana. A practical consideration when deciding to leave the date at April 30th and not to bring it forward to January 31st, Beatrix's actual birthday, was that the festive events on Queen's Day mostly take place in the open air and the weather conditions at the end of April for this are generally cheaper. She also decided that the citizens should not come to her, but that she would go to the citizens instead. Since 1981 there have been no more defilées, but the Queen and her family attended the celebrations in two parishes in one province. This visit was broadcast live by the NOS on radio and television, while street festivals with music and “Oranje-Bitter”, an orange liqueur, were celebrated throughout the country, with its colorful flags.

In 1987, on Koninginnedag, a last parade took place at Palais Soestdijk on the occasion of the golden wedding of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard .

In 1988, Queen Beatrix caused a sensation when she appeared unannounced with the royal family in Amsterdam after the official Koninginnedag celebrations and celebrated there with the citizens, although she was initially thought to be a double. In 2001, Beatrix made no public appearances on Koninginnedag for the only time during her government, when the visits to the cities of Meppel and Hoogeveen (province of Drenthe ) were canceled because of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak .

Since the mid-1990s, this ceremony has regularly degenerated into excessive alcohol in major Dutch cities. Because of this, the Queen advocated responsible alcohol consumption. In 2009 it was agreed that the bar would not be allowed until 11.30 a.m. in order to avoid the disturbance of the festival image by drunkards.

Attack in Apeldoorn in 2009

Apeldoorn, monument: de Naald
Course of the incident: The red line represents the path of the driver involved in the accident, the orange line that of the royal family

When a 38-year-old Dutchman drove a black Suzuki Swift into a crowd at high speed on Koninginnedag on April 30, 2009 in Apeldoorn at a parade in honor of the Queen at 11:51 a.m. , seven people were killed and nine injured. The driver first broke through the barriers, captured several people and finally rammed a monument. At this point the open bus (convertible) with the royal family was only about 15 meters away across the street.

After evaluating television images, the police assumed an attack because the driver did not try to escape from the vehicle. During an initial interrogation of the assassin, he confirmed that the royal family had been his real target. The seriously injured perpetrator died in the hospital the night after the attack.

The parade at the Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn planned for the afternoon on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Queen Juliana († March 20, 2004) was canceled due to the assassination, as were many other celebrations across the country. The flags were raised at half-mast . The PvdA also canceled all May 1st celebrations .

The Koningsdag under King Willem-Alexander (since 2014)

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Beatrix celebrate Koningsdag 2014 in De Rijp

Queen Beatrix abdicated on April 30, 2013 in favor of her son Willem-Alexander. The holiday has been called Koningsdag since 2014 and is celebrated on April 27, Willem-Alexander's birthday. In 2014, Koningsdag was already celebrated on April 26th because April 27th was a Sunday.

On Koningsdag, King Willem-Alexander and his family visit a community that fulfills a central function in the region. The city or village and the surrounding towns try to present themselves from their best side on this day, for example with street festivals, musical performances and contributions from associations and organizations from the region. The visit of the royal family to a parish is broadcast live on television.

List of municipalities visited

From Queen Beatrix on Koninginnedag

  • 2013: No visit due to the abdication of Queen Beatrix in favor of Willem-Alexander on April 30, 2013.

From King Willem-Alexander on Koningsdag

Web links

Commons : Koningsdag  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Koninginnedag  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bijwoning viering Koninginnedag sinds 1981 ( Memento from May 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) List of places since 1981 (PDF)
  2. ↑ Beatrix's birthday without Beatrix , spiegel.de, April 30, 2001
  3. ↑ destentor.nl: Noted drank bij feest Beatrix (Dutch)
  4. ↑ Seven dead after driving amok stern.de, May 1, 2009
  5. ↑ Vijf doden tijdens drama op Koninginnedag. (No longer available online.) Www.knack.be, archived from the original on May 3, 2009 .;
  6. ↑ Drama in the Netherlands: Motorists rush into parade for Queen Beatrix . www.welt.de. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  7. ↑ NOS Mediaplayer: Fragment uit uitzending Koninginnedag ( Memento from May 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), Flash Video , Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (duration: 11:49 min)
  8. ↑ Apeldoorn amok driver died . www.spiegel.de. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  9. ↑ Voortaan Koningsdag op April 27 , nos.nl, January 28, 2013
  10. ↑ Visit of the royal family in a community - King's Day. In: The Dutch royal family. Retrieved June 3, 2020 .