(No More) Queen's Day -- Quirks of #Curacao in the #AtoZChallenge 2015
Okay, so this isn't really language-related, and it's not exclusive to Curaçao. But, this island being part of the Dutch kingdom, I think it qualifies as a quirk I can expound on for my Q post. (And, also, there are no Q words in Papiamentu.)
On April 30, 2013, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated in favor of her son, Willem Alexander, thereby giving the Dutch kingdom its first king in over a century -- and putting an end to one hundred and twenty-plus years of celebrating Queen's Day.
Queen's Day started out, on the last day of August 1885, as Princessedag: to celebrate the birthday of King Willem III's daughter, Princess Wilhelmina, who turned a tender five that year. Five years later, when her father died and Wilhelmina became Queen, the holiday got the name it would become known for the world over: Koninginnedag.
Queen's Day in Queen Wilhelmina's Day & Age...
Wilhelmina's successor, Queen Juliana, kept the holiday but changed the date to her own birthday: April 30th.
... and in Juliana's Day...
Juliana's own successor, Beatrix, was born on January 31st, right in the middle of winter -- and who wants to celebrate anything, even a royal b-day, in the middle of winter. So Queen's Day kept on being April 30.
... and celebrations turned a tad wilder...
... even in the kingdom's farthest Caribbean shores. (Just a bit.)
With Willem Alexander's accession to the throne, the holiday became Koningsdag (King's Day) -- and is celebrated on April 27, ol' Double-Ya Ey's birthday.
Well, except the first one. See, the first King's Day -- in history! -- was supposed to be April 27 2014, but it fell on a Sunday... And even a king knows you don't make friends by moving a day off to a weekend. Wisely, he chose to begin this revised tradition in 2015, when the 27th is a Monday. Yep. Next weekend is a long weekend for the Dutch kingdom.
From solemn flower girls and military parades to... Well.(It's probably a good thing Queen Wilhelmina didn't live to see the, uh, evolution of her birthday celebrations)
Yes. That lion has Willem Alexander's -- the king's -- face.
On April 30, 2013, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated in favor of her son, Willem Alexander, thereby giving the Dutch kingdom its first king in over a century -- and putting an end to one hundred and twenty-plus years of celebrating Queen's Day.
Queen's Day started out, on the last day of August 1885, as Princessedag: to celebrate the birthday of King Willem III's daughter, Princess Wilhelmina, who turned a tender five that year. Five years later, when her father died and Wilhelmina became Queen, the holiday got the name it would become known for the world over: Koninginnedag.
Queen's Day in Queen Wilhelmina's Day & Age...
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Wilhelmina's successor, Queen Juliana, kept the holiday but changed the date to her own birthday: April 30th.
... and in Juliana's Day...
Juliana's own successor, Beatrix, was born on January 31st, right in the middle of winter -- and who wants to celebrate anything, even a royal b-day, in the middle of winter. So Queen's Day kept on being April 30.
... and celebrations turned a tad wilder...
... even in the kingdom's farthest Caribbean shores. (Just a bit.)
.JPG)
With Willem Alexander's accession to the throne, the holiday became Koningsdag (King's Day) -- and is celebrated on April 27, ol' Double-Ya Ey's birthday.
Well, except the first one. See, the first King's Day -- in history! -- was supposed to be April 27 2014, but it fell on a Sunday... And even a king knows you don't make friends by moving a day off to a weekend. Wisely, he chose to begin this revised tradition in 2015, when the 27th is a Monday. Yep. Next weekend is a long weekend for the Dutch kingdom.
From solemn flower girls and military parades to... Well.(It's probably a good thing Queen Wilhelmina didn't live to see the, uh, evolution of her birthday celebrations)
Yes. That lion has Willem Alexander's -- the king's -- face.
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