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Koninginnedag 2007 - Queen's day


Koninginnedag 2007 - Queen's day
Photo Information
Copyright: Hans Spruijt (GreenBaron) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3213 W: 972 N: 12110] (51877)
Genre: People
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-04-30
Categories: Event
Camera: Minolta Z1
Map: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Photo Collage 2 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-04-30 11:25
Viewed: 661
Points: 63
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Koninginnedag 2007 or Queen’s day 2007 in Haarlem

Today April 30 it’s the one and only not religious Holyday in the Netherlands; Koniginnedag or translated Queen’s Day. The national colour Orange is seen through all streets particular in the centre of the cities and villages.

Amsterdam is crapped with locals and tourist, so I decided to go to Haarlem which is very relaxing and attractive to. Crowed, yes, but nice. And you should know one funny thing is going on this day: People are allowed to make money out of their garage or attic rubbish! Particular the kids trying to make money for nothing (but no chicks for free :) Anyway, it’s a vicious circle; people selling their crap to each other and next year it’s the other way around I think because a see every year the same rubbish again. Nevertheless I bought some “rubbish” too, a dozen books which, one of theme made me very happy a edition of Roald Dahl’s biography “Going Solo”.

Today it was a gorgeous day for photographing; clear blue sky, nice temperatures and people which were happy. So I decided to make a compilation again. One of the pictures in this photo need extra atention, the two ladies in the lower left image. These were marvelous, making no eye-contact and only changing pose when someone droped some change in their basket. See the WS how they act....

Thus after a day of shooting pictures down town, eating burned hamburgers, drinking watery lemonade and having too much coffee I came home and had a nice cold beer first than powered up the computer and did my “TL-homework” for today ;)

Queen’s day
Queen's Day (Dutch: Koninginnedag) on April 30 (or celebrated on April 29 if the 30th is Sunday[1]) is a national holiday in the Netherlands, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. It started as a celebration of the Dutch monarchy. It is mainly known for the 'vrijmarkt' (literally 'freemarket'), the one day in the year that anyone is allowed to sell anything in the streets. The night before is celebrated as 'Koninginnenacht' (queen's night).
The holiday is celebrated on this date because it was the birthday of Queen Juliana (1909-2004). When Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana on 30 April 1980, she decided to keep the holiday on April 30 as a tribute to her mother. Furthermore, the weather on her own birthday (January 31) tends to prohibit the traditional outdoor festivities. 30 April, however, is renowned for having very pleasant weather.
Prior to 1949 the holiday was celebrated on August 31, the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina.
On Queen's Day the monarch, Queen Beatrix, visits one or two towns where she is received with celebrations in her honor. These celebrations often involve traditional Dutch dances and demonstrations of old crafts.
The previous monarch, Queen Juliana, would welcome people who came to the Soestdijk Palace. She and her family would stand on a dais, and a long line of citizens would walk past, congratulating the Queen and presenting her gifts.
The color orange is a ubiquitous sight on Queen's Day, as it represents the House of Orange, which is the name of the Dutch royal family. There are orange banners and Dutch flags (A long narrow orange streamer called a wimpel is flown above the tri-color Dutch flag as well, to celebrate royal occasions such as this.), orange colored foods and drinks, and extreme amounts of orange clothing and creative accessories are worn as well. Sometimes even the water in fountains is dyed orange. It is not uncommon for people to impersonate the queen, not always in a flattering manner.
The holiday is also known for its 'freemarket' in the style of a (nationwide) car boot sale, with many people setting up stalls or blankets in parks, on sidewalks and even on the roads themselves (cars are banned in many city centres) to sell household goods that they no longer need without paying taxes on their sales under a special holiday dispensation from the Dutch government. Typically, lots of children sell their cast-off toys and clothes; many entrepreneurs also sell food, beverages and almost anything else imaginable. Prices tend to be very negotiable as the day progresses. By the end of the festivities, much of the unsold merchandise is left on the streets to be picked through until it's hauled off by local municipalities shortly after. In Amsterdam, the city centre is increasingly being taken over by commercial traders, pushing the intended car boot sale out towards the outer ring of the centre. Vondelpark is, however, a designated area for children, where the original style is very much preserved, with children not only selling second hand goods but also performing music or providing other entertainment for money.
In recent years, Queen's Day has become more and more of an open-air party, with many concerts and special events in public spaces, particularly in Amsterdam, which attracts anywhere from 500,000 to 2,000,000 visitors. Many Dutch people living abroad try to make the pilgrimage home (with many 'clued-in' tourists) to experience this holiday each year. Booking accommodations in Amsterdam and elsewhere for Queen's Day is notoriously difficult, requiring booking 6 months or more ahead.
During the preceding 'koninginnenacht' (queen's night) many bars and clubs throughout the Netherlands (particularly in Amsterdam and The Hague) hold special events catering to revelers that last all night long. This tradition started in the early nineties when pre-Koninginnedag riots were an increasing problem in The Hague. The idea of convincing the rioters that a celebration is a much better way to spend 'Koninginnenach' (without the 't', as it's pronounced locally), proved successful. The event draws tens of thousands of visitors every year. (Text:Wikipedia.com)
XOTAELE, shelbeesmom, Ejtaan, harpya, milas, Hendrika, jan515, joopschotsman, tjutjut, s_a_s_h_a, docdexter, vsinopoulos, vandana2923, YasminesDad, cstathoulis, Josine, Werewolf, PierreFrigon, SkyF, thor68 has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Hendrika: Juf?GreenBaron 5 04-30 16:10
To rozenkool: Schieten...GreenBaron 1 04-30 14:48
To shelbeesmom: Crap....GreenBaron 1 04-30 11:45
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Critiques [Translate]

Hola Jans.
Una nota extensísima pero bastante interesante por lo que cuentan sobre estas celebraciones.
Buena nitidez, JL.

Looks like GREAT fun Hans! I love selling my crap to strangers! HAHAHA! Love the two ladies on the left lower side! Very interesting day! Glad you had a nice time!
Calamity Crap
B-)

Fantastisch sfeertje Hans.. Helemaal Koninginnnedag!
Zo te zien heb je je prima vermaakt.......

Echt gezellig hoor al die mensen... leuke compilatie!

Gr.,
Anneke

Lovely shots, Hans, it was a great day, I can see it. Thanks for sharing
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  •      
  • NINIX Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 128 N: 511] (6616)
  • [2007-04-30 12:33]

He Hans,

Prachtige impressie van onze nationale rommelmarktdag. Ik heb er ook weer van genoten.

Groet,

Hendrik

  • Great 
  • harpya Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6077 W: 189 N: 3507] (14552)
  • [2007-04-30 12:42]

Hello my friend...

I liked the collage, of the look, of the contagious happiness of this beautiful people.
I liked two ladies on the left lower side a lot!
Wonderful visual!
Congratulations

Sérgio

Hellou Hans.
Excellent colage. Good idea. Ineteresting shot. tfs. Stev

  • Great 
  • milas Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2838 W: 395 N: 3052] (33777)
  • [2007-04-30 13:01]

Hola Jans.
Una nota extensísima pero bastante interesante por lo que cuentan sobre estas celebraciones...
selamlar

  • Great 
  • korbee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1483 W: 0 N: 1852] (14495)
  • [2007-04-30 14:28]

Waanzinnige compilatie en vooral bijschrift(heb ik zelf vaak geen tijd en geduld voor...),alles tot in de puntjes verzorgt zoals gewoonlijk bij jou!
jan

Hoi Hans,

Je bentweer vandaag behoorlijk aan het "schieten geweest"!
Een geweldige verzameling!
Alles goed daar in Haarlem?

Je broer "rozenkool"

Nice compilage of a small country that can be great in doing this small scale funny things!
John T

  • Great 
  • salmi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 850 W: 5 N: 430] (4732)
  • [2007-04-30 15:15]

Hello Hans!
Great Quin's day in Holland, it feels in your pictures.
Excelent collage, very sugestive, great colors, lovely orange ;)
Congrats!
Mihaela

Daar zit muziek in, Hans.
Lang leve de Koningin.
Ik vond het te druk hier in Berge. Ben de natuur maar weer in gegaan.
Jan

  • Great 
  • jan515 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2573 W: 56 N: 4090] (18251)
  • [2007-04-30 15:21]

Very interesting collage dear Hans,Thanks to for this so good photographic work. That is a wonderful composition. Very good contrast. A fantastic picture.
Best wishes.
Janusz

Great presentation of our Queen's Day, Hans !!
It really reflects the fun and happyness of everybody. And of course the splendid weather.
Every image in it is oke. Good work.
greetings,
Joop!

Hi Hans,

It's so fun there. Orange becomes major color. Well composed and captured variety of people expression.

Thanks for sharing the picture and the note.

Cheers,
TJutjut

Hi Hans,
That is a wonderful composition and excelent collage. Great Quin's day in Holland, it feels in your shots.


Good work
Alex

Hi there!
Looks like everyone had fun!
Great collage work, with nice composition and sharp colourful shots.
Well done!

Hi Hans,

Great combo, well laid out, giving us a good idea of what goes on that day! All individual shots are very good and, colorful and well composed.
TFS,
Vassilis

My dear Hans - better watch out for people who start that way...
What if you place the whole row on the right to the left and left to the right - middle row can stay. That way everyone is looking in and the whole feel of the picture remains nice and dutch and cosy - Gezellig toch?
Big Hug from 't Veen.
E.
:)tomorrow

Excellent collage, a lot of animated, natural, full-of-life scenes. Nice orange tones--I love this color !

TFS,

Andreea

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3289 W: 274 N: 8007] (34168)
  • [2007-05-01 5:58]

The only photo that I can't see orange in is the one with the flag - no orange in the flag???
Looks like it was a fun holiday Hans. Well put togetehr in teh collage - well done
Janice

Great series of images. I've had very little time to comment lately.

Hoi Hans,
Excellent Collage with colorful photos my friend.
I like your Pov,colors,framing,composition,note,focus and sharpness.Well Done.TFS
Chris

Hi Hans,

Such a colourful and cheerful collage!! It must be a very interesting selling (getting rid of...) my crap to strangers. I like it. :)) I can see why you had a great time.

Very well done and TFS
Constantinos

  • Great 
  • Josine Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 922 W: 21 N: 652] (4069)
  • [2007-05-01 17:07]

Heerlijk Hansje Mooie bijdrage aan Oranje dag
Josine

I find it colorful and full of joy! It focus well on portrait. The orange color is well balanced. I like how they are around the most red middle :)

Very good montage of these photos. Very well caught.
And are those two ladies,bottom left, the chicks for free :-).
TFS
Pierre

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1666 W: 136 N: 1263] (6138)
  • [2007-05-01 20:34]

Hallo hans,
a wonderful collage, showing us the highlights of the day. Very well composed in this calendar style presentation.
TFS..Sky

Mooie constructie, een goed verhaal ook voor de buitenlanders.
Rob

Hello Hans friend, colorful collage. Nice festival shot, each shot is well composed and tells the story. TFS

Vandana

follows

Een leuke collage van een geweldig feest dat we in Nederland hebben
Het geeft een goed beeld van Haarlem bij Koninginnedag.
Denk dat ik vandaag nog even naar de Hout ga voor bevrijdingsdag
Ruud

  • Great 
  • thor68 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 408 W: 118 N: 765] (4550)
  • [2007-05-06 16:08]

awesome collage showing us the Koniginnedag, hans! :-)
i heard rumours it was great, but these impressions, wow, almost like carnival in cologne.
terrific job & bedankt, thor.

Prachtige foto collage!
Mooi werk...
Amateurtje

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