The canals were lined with boats full of drunken orange revelers, and people crowded the sidewalks, selling old trinkets, home-baked goods, and all manner of strange items (among other things, I discovered a CPR doll, three toilet seats, a bright pink chainsaw, and a traffic light for sale). .
It was Koningsdag, or 'Koningsdag' in the Netherlands, and apparently the entire population had turned out to celebrate the birthday of King Willem-Alexander, who ascended the throne on April 30, 2013, following the abdication of Queen Beatrix, his mother. Traditionally, the king and his family visit a different Dutch municipality every year on King's Day to celebrate together with the local population. This year, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and princesses Ariane, Amalia and Alexia visited Emmen in the northeast.
King's Day is celebrated every year on April 27 (or the 26th if the 27th is a Sunday) and is a cheerful, chaotic festival where 'orange madness' or 'orange madness' predominates, in honor of the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch. Royal family.
My girlfriend Fidra and I really went for it. I dyed my hair a bright copper color and Fidra went neon orange (she looked undeniably better than me). Fidra also took the trouble to sew and dye matching orange blouses for us. If there's one thing my best friend commits to, it's a costume party.
The holiday originally took place on August 31, 1885, known as Prinsessedag or Prinsessendag, in honor of the 5th birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, who was then the heir presumptive to the Dutch throne. When Wilhelmina ascended the throne in November 1890, the holiday was renamed Koninginnedag, or Queen's Day, and was first celebrated on August 31, 1891.
In September 1948, Wilhelmina's daughter Juliana became queen, moving the holiday to her birthday, April 30. In 1980, Queen Juliana abdicated and passed the throne to her daughter, Queen Beatrix.
Beatrix chose to hold the celebration on April 30 because her own birthday fell in the cold of January, making outdoor festivities impractical due to the cold weather.
King's Day is the only day of the year on which the Dutch government allows street sales without a permit and exempts sellers from paying VAT.
That's why there is a national flea market called the free market, where you can find almost everything under the sun for sale on the sidewalk.
As I wandered around the city in the days leading up to King's Day, I noticed several parts of the sidewalk taped off, with the word “OCCUPIED” (“occupied”) scrawled in chalk on the ground. Apparently some sellers were already marking their territory.
At the Apollolaan flea market I found a beautiful vase for €10 ($NZ18), sunglasses for 50 cents, and a large gilded Hodegetria (an iconographic image of the Virgin Mary with the child Jesus at her side) lying on the street. in a pile of garbage. I was absolutely thrilled.
We walked past the Vondelpark, a large public park in the Amsterdam South district, where children sold their discarded toys and old clothes. An enterprising boy charged passers-by €1.50 per move on a chessboard.
I'm not a royalist or a monarchist, but I readily admit that I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating King Willem-Alexander's 57th birthday – partly because of the copious amounts of white wine I consumed, partly because of the brilliant deals I made on the free market, and partly because Willem-Alexander is not my king, and frankly I don't have to worry about his interference in my political affairs.
Some 300 years ago I (or my Irish Catholic ancestors) might have had reason to worry about a very different William of Orange, but in 2024 I'm very happy to put on my brightest orange clothes and head out into the sun go to celebrate. a Dutch king's birthday.
As journalist Nicola Chadwick said, writing for Radio Netherlands Worldwide: “Friendships – and a community – will be formed. That really means something to me [King’s] It's all about the day. It's not an outburst of patriotism, it's not even about the popularity of the royal family. It's about a sense of connection. For one day everyone in the Netherlands is the same. Bright orange and barmy.”
It also goes without saying that I would never take part in an Orange March here in Great Britain, which is very different from the Dutch tradition.
In Britain, Orange marches are associated with the Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organization that originated in Northern Ireland. While for many the marches are seen as a celebration of the Protestant Unionist heritage, for others the Orange marches are provocative, exclusionary and marked by sectarian violence. You won't find me in Ulster on The Twelfth, even though I look attractive in bright orange.
Prior to this trip to Amsterdam, I read the wonderful book Amsterdam: A History of the Most Liberal City in the World by Russell Shorto. I learned a lot about the Glorious Revolution, the Dutch Enlightenment, the tulip mania, Spinoza, the Dutch East India Company, the Nazi occupation and the liberal exceptionalism of Amsterdam.
Spending King's Day in Amsterdam was an even more educational experience. I learned about unity and camaraderie, Dutch entrepreneurship, patriotism and traditions. Orange top! Orange on it!
—Jean Balchin is one ODT columnist who has just started a new life in Edinburgh.