On the third Tuesday of September the Dutch celebrate Prince’s
Day. That day the King opens Parliament after the summer break. It is all done
in style and very festive, with pomp and circumstance, lots of regimental
costumes, horses, carriages, military bands, the firing of canons and the
closure of the very heart of The Hague.
Although The Hague never officially has
been a city as it never had city walls or gates, it is the seat of Parliament
and has several palaces, big and small within its perimeter. In that respect it
is a real city. The speech of the King, addressed to Parliament, tries to give
an idea of where our tax money will be going to the coming year, how optimistic
we should or should not be, how we are faring economically, what problems need
our immediate attention and such things. It is about political decisions, our
economy, and this year of course also about the refugees flooding Europe
fleeing their own war torn countries.
The women present, politicians, ministers and their wives try
to wear striking or outrageous hats. It is one of the very few occasions
nowadays for which one can wear a hat. Even at weddings they seem to have gone
out of fashion, at least in The Netherlands.
When I was a child the schools in The Hague would be closed
on “Prinsjesdag” so that we could go and
see the spectacle, at that time the Queen, the Prince and the four princesses. For
after the official part was over, in the afternoon, the princesses would join
their parents and they would ride through The Hague in open carriages. I loved
it! No tour in the afternoon nowadays, and the three princesses are not
involved in the official proceeding of this day, alas. But many groups of schoolchildren
were lining the streets and walking around.
A "lone rider"
As an adult not working in The Hague, of course I could not
go and wait for hours behind the crash barriers, something I am not prone to do
anyway. Later I would watch it on television,
sitting very comfortably on my own sofa, perhaps with friends, enjoying coffee
and “appeltaart”, Dutch apple cake.
A colourful public...
and colourful umbrella's
This time I was invited by a very dear American friend to
join her as a guest of the American Women’s Club for a true Indonesian meal, a “rijsttafel”,
in the best known Indonesian restaurant in The Hague, which is in a strategic
spot for watching the golden carriage and all the goings on. We had a wonderful
view from the second floor, meanwhile enjoying the food, the wine and the
company of many interesting women. And the restaurant was warm as well. We
pitied the people lining the streets, trying to keep dry under their multi
coloured umbrellas.
The Golden Carriage on its way to Parliament and on its way back
All in all it was a wonderful day, and from the window I
could take quite a few nice pictures. Something which was impossible when I was
a school girl. I was too tiny, always behind tall or fat people and couldn’t
see much at all, let alone take pictures with a simple camera which had never
heard of “zooming in”. This time it was so different, looking down on other
people instead of being hidden behind them. The Golden Carriage, a gift to
Queen Wilhelmina by the inhabitants of Amsterdam on the occasion of her
becoming Queen, will be restored in the coming years, so we won’t see it next
year. In that respect today was even more of a historical event.
Different carriages, different number of horses
Even the mild protests by only two people as far as I could
see, with banners against the monarchy and for real democracy and in favour of
a republic, could not spoil the festive atmosphere.
A mild protest
The shops were closed in the city centre till 2 pm. No trams,
no busses till the afternoon. It was a shock having to struggle through the
crowds of people after emerging from the restaurant.
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