Celebrating Her Majesty's Birthday
Figure 1: This map was from The World Factbook Website at www.cia.gov/publications/factbook/geos/nl.html. The Netherlands is located in Western Europe bordering the North Sea between Belgium and Germany.
Abstract
Queen's Day is a national public holiday celebrated in the Netherlands on April 30 in order to commemorate the Queen's birthday. The celebration began as a day to honor the Queen, who represents the symbol of the royal family, but has changed drastically throughout the years. Now the country turns into one huge block party as people from all over Holland gather in the streets to sell goods and dance. A recent public debate concerning the Queen's authority in politics has led to questioning the significance of this holiday. In spite of the debate, the Queen is still a popular figure and Queen's Day remains a popular holiday. Regardless of the origin of this day, Queen's Day remains the one day in which Dutch nation can become united in celebration as they celebrate their national identity and common history.
Figure 2:
This picture was from a personal photo gallery found at www.atyourpace.com.
This picture shows how crowded the streets are in Amersterdam which
is the focal point of the celebration. A crowd of
500,000-2 million tourists come to celebrate in Amersterdam from
all over Holland and the world.
Figure
3: This picture was from a public photo gallery
found at www.europebyphotor.com. This picture is taken of the
canals in Amerstam where there is a boat parade. This picture
shows the importance of the color Orange since it represents the 'House
of Orange' from which the monarchy has descended.
Introduction
Every year on April 30th , the Dutch celebrate the Queen's birthday by turning the country into one huge block party. Citizens do no need permits to sell goods on the street therefore every corner is filled with people eager to get rid of old toys, clothes and games. There are bands at every major square and people dancing into the early morning hours. The event has been overshadowed by a recent public debate about the constitutional powers of the monarch and her influence on politics (Radio Netherlands). In spite of this debate, the Queen is still a popular figure and Queen's Day remains a very popular holiday. Even though the celebration has political origin, Queen's Day celebrations have evolved to not emphasize politics or support for royalist cause but still maintain a strong feeling of national unity by bringing the country together in celebration.
Context of The Netherlands
The Netherlands, which is popularly called Holland, is located in Western Europe bordering the North Sea between Belgium and Germany. Although the country is roughly the size of the states Massachusetts and Connecticut put together, it is comprised of twelve provinces (Hooker 3). The “Netherlands” means “Low Lands” referring to the nation's plain-like geography. A quarter of the land is below sea-level, protected from the sea by dikes and dunes (Ember 1564). The climate is temperate and marine with cool summers and mild winters. Amsterdam is the capital but the government rules in The Hague. Utrecht is the transportation hub, while the port city Rotterdam is the focal point for the economy. It is the most densely populated country in Europe with the official language being Dutch (Ember 1565). The largest religious denomination is Catholic (30%) followed by Reformed Protestant (14%), Dutch Reformed (7%) and Muslim (4%). Evidently, 40% of the population is not religiously affiliated (Ember 1573). The Netherlands do not have a strong uniform national culture. Most Dutch people reject this notion of unity because they feel it is too nationalistic. Instead they emphasize the countries cultural diversity, tolerance of difference and openness to foreign influence (Ember 1564).
The Netherlands history began after the death of Charlemagne when several duchies founded a region called the Low Countries. By the 15 th century, most the of the Low Countries were ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy and later by the Austrian House of Habsburg. Philip of Habsburg married Joanna of Castile and their son, Charles V became the king of Spain in 1516. In 1519, he united the Netherlands and Spain under his leadership. His son, Philip II continued to reign and tried to eliminate Protestantism and any political and religious freedoms of the Dutch. The Low Countries raised a revolt under the leadership of William the Silent, Prince of Orange. By 1577, most of the country was free with William as their ruler. In 1578, the southern provinces now known as Belgium, revolted against William. In 1579, the Northern provinces created the Union of Utrecht as the United Provinces. Dutch independence was not fully recognized by the Spanish until the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 (Kurian 158).
In the 17 th century, the United Provinces became the leading commercial and maritime power in Europe with colonies in the East and West Indies, South Africa and South America (Kurian 158). From this wealth emerged the ‘Golden Age' in which great canal houses were constructed in Amsterdam and the arts flourished (Ember 1567). As for religious freedom, it was the most liberal in the world and sought after by many refugees from religious persecution (Kurian 159). As a result, religious, cultural and ethnic diversity are thought to be the core of Dutch culture (Ember 1567).
The Netherlands is a united state governed by a central body. The political system is a parliamentary democracy as well as a constitutional monarchy (Ember 1570). The present monarch is Queen Beatrix who started her reign in 1938 (Hooker 35). The queen has little political influence and her role is mainly symbolic. The political power rests in a cabinet of ministers headed by a prime minister. The cabinet is held responsible to be the Parliament (Staten-Generaal) whose members are elected every four years. The Dutch Parliament is made up of the First and Second Chamber, which together constitute the legislative branch. Each of the twelve provinces has a local governing board whose leader is the Queen's commissioner (Ember 1570).
Origins of Queen's Day
Queen's Day has not always been a public holiday and celebrated on April 30th . The festivity started in 1891 when Queen Wilhelmina celebrated her first birthday as queen on her real birthday, August 31 st (Steward 54). This was an initiative of the Liberal Party in hopes that a symbol designed to create national unity would promote unity within its own ranks (The Royal House). Since this holiday also fell at the end of summer school vacation, it soon became a holiday all Dutch school children revered. The holiday received extra recognition in 1902 when Queen Wilhelmina suffered a serious illness. When the country learned of her recovery, the nation was delighted and Koninginnedag became a popular holiday (The Royal House). Queen Wilhelmina was succeeded by Queen Juliana in 1948 and Koninginnedag was moved to the new Queen's birthday which is on April 30 th and became an official public holiday (Steward 54). The floral tributes that had been offered initially to her grandmother, Queen Emma, on her birthday August 2, had grown into a grand parade and then into a national celebration on Queen Juliana's birthday (Steward 55). In 1980, when Queen Beatrix succeeded the throne, it was decided Queen's Day would always be celebrated on April 30 th in honor of her mother (The Royal House).
Performance
It used to be that the Dutch celebrated Queen's Day simply by raising the national flag, eating orange deserts and drinking a special liqueur. Some would even travel as far as the Royal Palace at Soestdijk to see the Queen and the Royal Family who would sit outside and wave to those who came to visit (Radio Netherlands). This is no longer the case as recent decades would prove with celebrations for Queen's Day involving massive festivals and street parties. Everyone will use this day off from work as an excuse to celebrate and feel free to do whatever they want. Queen's Day can be summarized as an exciting, country-wide flea market (Fenema 17). On this day, citizens do not need a permit to sell goods and everybody seizes the opportunity to sell old clothes and toys on every street corner. The entire center of Amsterdam becomes a huge market visited by thousands of people. It has been estimated that Amsterdam draws crowds from 500,000 to 2 million tourists from all over Holland (Radio Netherlands). The whole day is reserved for an open air party with bands performing at every street corner and dance parties such as the one displayed in the Artifact video going on throughout the day. To add to the already noisy and festive mood, musicians play instruments and acrobats perform stunts for the crowd (Fenema 17). The whole country turns into a sea of orange by painting bicycles and faces to commemorate the Queen of Orange (Radio Netherlands). The current monarch, Queen Beatrix is in the lineage of Prince Willem of Orange, who freed The Netherlands from the Spaniards and became the country's first ruler. Each year, Queen Beatrix visits towns on Queen' Day where she is honored with special celebrations, often in the form of old-fashioned dancing and crafts (Fenema 17).
Artifact
My Figure is a video clip of a group of citizens dancing at the Harlemmermeer Bridge near Central Station in Amsterdam. The video clip is from a Holland travel website found at:
http://www.amsterdam-holland-travel.com/gallery/mpeg-videos/harlemmermeer-bridge-party.mpg
Interpretation
Prognosis for Queen's Day
Queen's Day celebration has increased in popularity even though the Queen herself is decreasing in popularity. An opinion poll taken recently confirms that Queen Beatrix's popularity has been declining since many think she is haughty and arrogant (Radio Netherlands). Regardless of the fact that the Queen may be decreasing in popularity, she still has overwhelming public support and continues to be a popular figure. Queen's Day still remains the most festive occasion of the year. This proves that Queen's Day is not being affected by the ongoing debate concerning the Queen's influence on politics (Radio Netherlands). Instead Queen's Day remains a popular holiday because it is a day off from work in which the whole country can come together and celebrate. It has been estimated that Amsterdam draws crowds from 500,000 to 2 million tourists from all over Holland (Radio Netherlands).
There was such a large crowd of people in Amsterdam on Queen's Day 2001 that trouble started when the Dutch Railways, concerned about safety, suspended train service in and out of Amsterdam at 1 p.m. (Sennitt). Thousands of people were stranded and with the combination of alcohol and frustration, violence erupted outside of Central Station. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowds who tried to break the doors down (Sennitt). This situation proves how crowded and uncontrollable Queen's Day celebrations can be. The aftermath of Queen's Day also proves how popular and untamed the celebration can be with the streets filled with litter, looking more like a riot took place rather than a national celebration (Sennitt). These wild celebrations prove that people are more interested in having a good time than commemorating the Royal Family. Therefore, while the Queen may be decreasing in popularity, the day named in her honor in which the whole country can celebrate is certainly not.
Conclusion
Queen's Day began as a day in which the whole country came together to commemorate and honor the Queen on her birthday. Although from the recent appearance of Amsterdam on this day, it does not seem as though they are honoring the Queen with any seriousness. The whole city turns into a mass block party with vendors and musicians on every street corner and people dancing rowdily in the streets. While they appear to be celebrating, it is not very clear for what purpose. The only symbolic references are the mass amounts of orange which represent the lineage from which the Queen descended and people dressed as Queens. It looks more like a mass mockery than a mass veneration. The recent debate concerning the monarch's power and influence in politics help fuel the question regarding the reason for this public holiday. It does not seem as thought people are actually commemorating the Queen, instead they are using this as an excuse to have a day off of work and celebrate throughout the streets. Regardless of the basis of the celebration, the Dutch people use this day to come together and feel united as one. On this day, their national identity and common history can unite them while they keep their religious, cultural and ethnic diversity that they feel is the essence of their Dutch culture. Therefore, regardless of the purpose of the celebration, Queen's Day will remain a popular holiday since this is the one day in which there are no social, economical or political differences but instead everyone is united in one common goal, which is to have a wonderful time.
Internet References Cited
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Bohannon for Queen's Day Picture. 2004. At Your Pace. Electronic Picture. http://www.atyourpace.com/queensday.html , accessed September 21, 2004. This is a personal photo gallery of pictures taken in Holland on Queen's Day.
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Europe By Photo. 2004. Electronic Photo. http://www.europebyphoto.com/images/Queen's%20Day/watersportlge.jpg , accessed November 30, 2004. This website has photographs of countries all over Europe.
- Harlemmermeer Bridge Party
2000. Amsterdam Queen's Day 2000 Video Gallery. Electronic
Video.
http://www.amsterdam-holland-travel.com/gallery/mpeg-videos/harlemmermeer-bridge-party.mpg
, accessed October 21, 2004.
This is a travel web site which has many photo and video galleries that
are helpful to tourists.
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Long, Lucy M. 2004 “Holidays and Schools: Folklore Theory and Educational Practices, or, “Where do I put the Christmas Tree?” Bowling Green State University. Electronic Document. http://www.carts.org/pdfs/lucy_long.pdf , accessed October 21, 2004. This was an article written by a teacher concerning how many holidays celebrate themes or values central to a culture.
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Radio Netherlands. 2000 “Queen's Day Celebrations in The Netherlands.” Electronic Document. http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/queens000427.html , accessed September 19, 2004. This is an archived article from the Current Affairs section in the Radio Netherlands website.
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Sennitt, Andy. 2002 . “On the Last Day of April.” Electronic Document, http://www.rnw.nl/holland/html/koninginnedag020426.html , accessed October 20, 2004. This article is from a weekly feature from the Radio Netherlands website which covers news issues in The Netherlands.
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The Royal House. 1999. “The Monarchy: The Queen's Official Birthday.” Electronic Document, http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/UK/monarchy/monarchy.html?koninginnedag.html accessed October 18, 2004. This site is an official site of The Royal House which has all the information concerning the monarchy in Holland .
Peer-Reviewed References Cited
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Ember, Carol and Melvin Ember. 2001 Countries and Their Cultures . Macmillian Reference , New York .
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Fenema, Joyce Van 1998 Festivals of the World: Netherlands . Gareth Stevens Publications, Milwaukee .
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Hooker, Mark T. 1999 The History of Holland . Greenwood Press, Westport , Connecticut .
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Kurian, George Thomas, ed. 1989 The Benelex Countries. Facts on File, New York .
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Office of Folklife Programs 1982 Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual . Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
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Steward, Pat 1995 Cultures of the World : Netherlands . Marshall Cavendish, New York .