Principessa
Most Exalted Member
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 Netherlands
Posts: 44226
I am the Queen
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so this looks fun -what is it exactly ? They walk around and random people have games and interviews?
Max needs to tone it down. The girls all did great !!
Own knowledge, with help from sources online: King's Day (since 2014), previously Princess Day (1885-1890) and Queen's Day (1891-2013), has been a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands since the reign of Queen Juliana in honor of the head of state's birthday. In all parts of the kingdom, this is considered a day off for most employees and is celebrated with various festivities, including flea markets, music festivals and wearing orange clothing. Since 1981, the king and/or queen have paid a ceremonial visit to one or more municipalities in the country on this day.
From Queen Wilhelmina (1891) to Queen Beatrix (2013), the day was called Queen's Day. During Wilhelmina's reign, the day was celebrated on August 31, her birthday. When her daughter took over the throne, from 1949 onwards the party was celebrated on her birthday, April 30. Beatrix, whose birthday is on January 31, took over that day (Beatrix indicated that she also did this in honor of her mother Juliana)
Since 2014, the day has been called King's Day and is celebrated on April 27, King Willem-Alexander's birthday, unless that day falls on a Sunday. In that case, King's Day falls one day earlier (same exception was done previously with Queensday).
During Wilhelmina's reign, Queen's Day was celebrated on August 31, her birthday, until 1948. When Juliana came to the throne, the celebration was moved to the new queen's birthday, April 30, in 1949. When Queen Beatrix took office in 1980, she chose not to move the holiday and thus not celebrate it on her birthday, January 31. She did this to honor her mother. An additional practical consideration was that on her own birthday, unlike at the end of April, the weather was not suitable for a large-scale outdoor event. If April 30 fell on a Sunday, Queen's Day was postponed one day. Until 1980, it was celebrated on Monday, May 1 (Labor Day). Since 1980, Queen's Day and King's Day have been brought forward one day in such cases, so to Saturday. This was the first time in 1989.
Even before the 'real Queen's Day', the first 'Princess Day' was organized on August 31, 1885, the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina. The initiative for this was taken by the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper with the aim of emphasizing national unity. This first edition took place in the city of Utrecht. In the following years, other places took over. After the death of King Willem III in November 1890, Princess Day was succeeded in 1891 by the celebration of 'Queen's Day'. This day developed into a holiday for children. On her eighteenth birthday, August 31, 1898, Wilhelmina became reigning queen. The inauguration took place on September 6. Until 1948, when Queen Wilhelmina abdicated, Queen's Day was celebrated on August 31.
Until the Second World War, May 1, Labor Day, rivaled Queen's Day. The socialists, social democrats and communists celebrated May 1 with large parades and festivities. That day had a political character. In the highly pillarized Netherlands, the supporters of the anti-monarchist SDAP did not celebrate Queen's Day, and the bourgeois parties in turn did not celebrate Labor Day. What could have been national holidays became days on which the divisions of the Netherlands were emphasized. After the Second World War, when the Social Democrats reconciled with the monarchy, Queen's Day became a holiday for all Dutch people. Labor Day was widely forgotten.
After Queen Juliana succeeded her mother Wilhelmina in 1948, Queen's Day was celebrated on Juliana's birthday, April 30, from 1949 onwards. While Queen Wilhelmina and her family had never been present at the festivities, Queen Juliana received an annual floral tribute at Soestdijk Palace. From the 1950s onwards this event could be followed on television. While Queen's Day was still a normal working day in the post-war years, over the years more and more people were given a day off, so that April 30 could become a national holiday.
When she succeeded to the throne on April 30, 1980, Queen Beatrix decided to maintain this day. Beatrix also changed the form of Queen's Day. Instead of a defile, she went into the country with her family. On Queen's Day they visited 1 or 2 places elsewhere in the Netherlands. On January 28, 2013, she announced that she would abdicate on the next Queen's Birthday. Due to Beatrix's abdication and the inauguration of Willem-Alexander, Queen's Day 2013 had a different character.
Willem-Alexander has kept the concept of King's Day fairly similar to that of his mother. Just like Beatrix, he visits 1 or 2 places elsewhere in the Netherlands on King's Day. As often filled with all kinds of demonstrations, activities, etc., in which members of the RF also participate here and there.
The King's Games have taken place on the last Friday before King's Day since 2013. This is a sports day at schools, where each school can decide for itself how it will be organized. The royal couple celebrates the King's Games somewhere in the country. These were also canceled in 2020 due to the corona pandemic.
The King's Day Concert, formerly Queen's Day Concert, is a concert on the occasion of the King's birthday and takes place prior to King's Day in the same municipality. Until 2013, this concert took place at Noordeinde Palace in the presence of a large part of the royal family. Every year a different combination of ensembles and artists takes center stage. This concert was also canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the corona pandemic.
On the eve of King's Day, the royal awards are presented (also called the "lintjes regen"). If the day before King's Day is a Sunday, this will happen on the last Friday before King's Day, i.e. on the day of the King's Games. Previously, this happened on the Saturday before, so on April 28. Even if King's Day itself falls on Saturday, the "Ribbon Rain" takes place on this day.
The evening before King's Day, King's Night (formerly Queen's Night) is organized in various places. In The Hague this night is called KoningsNach (without t, formerly KoninginneNach and since 2011 The Life I Live festival) and in Rotterdam this night is called the Night of Orange (celebrated in Ahoy). In Apeldoorn and the surrounding area, this night is known as Prince's Night and the night after King's Day is called King's Night.
Various festivities take place throughout the Netherlands in honor of King's Day, often organized by Orange associations and local associations. A free market takes place in many places. Open-air parties are also held in many places. Amsterdam takes the cake with its famous free markets
In the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, King's Day is also a public holiday and is celebrated exuberantly with various festivities.
King's Day was included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory in September 2013.
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