{"id":30636,"date":"2017-04-27T06:55:33","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T10:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=30636"},"modified":"2017-05-03T11:52:08","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T15:52:08","slug":"celebrating-kings-day-unite-orange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/celebrating-kings-day-unite-orange","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating King’s Day: Why We Unite in Orange"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shapeways\u00a0may have its HQ in NYC, but we’re an international company, born in the Netherlands and Dutch to the core. That’s why today is one of the biggest holidays of the year: King’s Day. But what is King’s Day? EU Community Manager Ruud van den Muijzenberg shares the holiday lore.<\/em><\/p>\n

As a Dutch citizen, born and raised, I’ve grown up celebrating Queen’s Day on April 30 in honor of our former queen, Beatrix. When her son, King Willem-Alexander, ascended the throne in 2013, the national holiday was moved to his birthday, April 27, and renamed King’s Day. For me, beyond all the festivities, this day represents a moment of union within a proudly diverse country. Let’s take a closer look at this important part of Dutch culture.<\/p>\n

King’s Day (and Queen’s Day, and, further back, Princess’s Day) dates back to 1885. On this day, the birthday of the current Dutch King or Queen is celebrated throughout the country. It’s well known for the open outdoor markets where people participate in a kind of country-wide rummage sale, the dress-to-impress Orange Craze, and for massive dance parties in larger cities like Amsterdam, Utrecht, and (our hometown) Eindhoven. The dance industry plays an important role in the Netherlands, since a huge percentage of globally recognized DJs and dance event organizers originate here, naturally it plays an important role during King’s Day. Being a DJ myself, playing any King’s Day event is always an honor \u2014 and incredibly satisfying, since one of your most important roles as DJ is to unify your crowd.<\/p>\n

King’s Day in Eindhoven<\/h3>\n

In the center of Eindhoven alone, over 250,000 people gather to unite in orange every King’s Day. From events at the\u00a0former Philips plant Strijp-S<\/a> to open markets on the Philitelaan. And from a small carnival in one of the suburbs to huge dance events on every square in the city center. It’s always incredible to see the main square in front of city hall turn entirely orange. Main roads within the Eindhoven city center are closed for traffic, and it got so busy one year\u00a0that trains even stopped running between Eindhoven and Amsterdam!<\/p>\n

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Stadhuisplein Eindhoven, one of many squares that host events during King’s Day. Source: This Is Our House.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Origins of King’s Day<\/h3>\n

The holiday began back in 1885 as Princess’s Day, in honor of\u00a0the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina\u00a0became queen in 1890, so\u00a0the Netherlands celebrated the first Queen’s Day on\u00a0August 31, 1891. In 1949, Queen’s Day\u00a0moved to April 30 to\u00a0honor Queen Juliana, Wilhelmina’s daughter. Juliana was succeeded by her daughter, Queen Beatrix, but she didn\u2019t move\u00a0the celebration to her birthday, which was in January.<\/p>\n

Queen’s Day Becomes\u00a0King’s Day, Confusion Ensues<\/h3>\n

Beatrix stepped down\u00a0on Queen\u2019s Day in 2013, replaced by her son, King Willem-Alexander. The national holiday was then moved to his birthday on April 27 and renamed King’s Day.<\/p>\n