Why the Dutch celebrate Queen's Day on 30 April
Today the Dutch celebrate Queen Beatrix. Happy Queen's Day to the Netherlands! Queen's Day, or Koninginnedag in Dutch, is a national holiday in the Netherlands, Curacao, Sint Maarten and Aruba.
Before Queen's Day, the Dutch celebrated 'Princess Day' on 31 August. The first celebration was in 1885, on the fifth birthday of the then young Princess Wilhelmina, heir to the Dutch throne. The initiative was taken by an editor of a local newspaper with the aim to emphasize national unity.
After the death of King Willem III in 1890, Princess Day was renamed as Queen's Day. When Queen Juliana ascended to the throne in 1948, the holiday moved to her birthday on 30 April. Her daughter, Beatrix retained the celebration on that day after she took the throne in 1980.
Queen's Day is well known for its nationwide flea market and its 'orange madness'.
Many people in the Netherlands sell their secondhand items and dress up in orange as well as the colours of their flag: red, white and blue.
Extensive outdoor parties are held in many cities. Amsterdam is especially known for its festivities and attracts around half a million visitors. For many tourists, Queen's Day is one of the main events of the year in Amsterdam.
Every year, the Royal Family visits towns in the Netherlands. In these places they are received by the local residents with special celebrations, which often take the form of demonstrations of traditional Dutch dances, crafts, sports and singing performances.
Update: Since 2014, Queen's Day is no more as King Willem-Alexander ascended to the throne in 2013. King's Day is now celebrated each year on 27 April, which is Willem-Alexander's birthday.