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Revolving a day back around the world - From
there I will be one day
younger... and if I can't
get used to the idea,
maybe I'll just have to do
it again the other way...
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Konninginnetag
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In my already tight planning for preparation, there was one thing I could not avoid: Queen's Day in Amsterdam. I was there last year, and it has become a rendez-vous with friends who live far appart.
I had to stay from thursday to tuesday, because of the plane tickets, and these 6 days were a good pause in my preparation phase. Now I'm getting set for the last run before departure.
A few words on Queen's Day, with the description from Wikipedia:
Queen's Day (Dutch: Koninginnedag) on April 30 (or celebrated on April 29 if the 30th is Sunday) is a national holiday in The Netherlands. It started as a celebration of the Dutch monarchy.
The holiday is celebrated on this date because it was the birthday of Queen Juliana (1909-2004). When Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana in 1980, she decided to keep the holiday on April 30, as the weather on her own birthday, January 31, tends to prohibit the traditional outdoor festivities.
Before 1949, the holiday was celebrated on the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina, August 31.
The current monarch, Queen Beatrix, visits towns on Queen's Day where she is received with special celebrations, often in the form of demonstrations of old-fashioned dances and crafts. In her day, Queen Juliana welcomed people who came to the Soestdijk Palace. She and her family would stand on a dais, and a long line of citizens would walk past, congratulating the Queen and giving her presents.
Activities
The colour orange is a common sight on Queen's Day, as it represents the House of Orange, which is the name of the current Dutch dynasty. There are orange banners and flags, orange food and drink, and even the water in some fountains is dyed orange.
The holiday is also a "free market" day where people set up stalls at the roadside to sell household goods they no longer need.
In recent years, Queen's Day has become more and more of an open air party, particularly in Amsterdam, which attracts anywhere from 500,000 to two million visitors.
Since Queen's Day is a national holiday many people also go out and party on the evening before Queen's Day, called Queen's Night, Koninginnenacht in Dutch. The Hague in particular is renowned for its free open air concerts at various locations throughout the centre of the city which attract thousands of people. There is also a well known fair there every year, in which you can go to several different rides and food stalls. Common foods on this day include Poffertjes.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koninginnedag"
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Awesome, very tiring, and in the end it is difficult to remember what you have exactly been doing and where you have been wandering. One thing for sure: you need good walking shoes, and good medication for the next day, as your hair tends to get painful...
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Latest Comments (2)
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Oui mais en plus mignon... (reply)
May 3, 2006 13:00 EST by peacefrog
... car ca dure une soirée et une journée, ensuite ils nettoient tout, et le lendemain c'est comme si rien ne s'était passé... Disons que c'est une bonne mise en jambe pour ceux qui vont faire la saison des ferias !
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