Orange fever

‘Just be normal, that’s being crazy enough’ (doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg) is a familiar saying in the Netherlands. Usually the Dutch consider not being too different from everybody else to be of paramount importance and deem it proper to be calm rather than crazy. Yet there is an exception that allows even – and especially – the most conservative person to go wild: King’s Day.

While the new name might take some getting used to since it has been a Queen’s Day for more than hundred years, the basic idea has remained unchanged: go out and have fun! Officially we are celebrating the monarch’s birthday, but the party is for yourself. The dresscode is simple: anything goes as long as it is orange. Other than that you can do whatever you fancy. There are usually loads of activities, including the famous street flea market where everybody tries to get rid of their junk. But it is up to yourself to turn it into a fun day.

A visit to Amsterdam is certainly worthwhile as on Queen’s (now King’s) Day it becomes the capital of craziness. The sheer number of people colouring the streets orange is hard to believe if you have not seen it with your own eyes. The atmosphere is busy but peaceful and bathing yourself in this orange happiness it is nearly impossible to not become cheerful yourself.

As much as I enjoy this national holiday, for me there is one problem: I strongly believe in the value of an elected head of state and am thus principally opposed to monarchy. However, if abolishing it means we get rid of this crazy orange tradition, then that is a strong argument in favour of the monarchy. Long live the king? No, but long live King’s Day!

Johanna Gröne (29, German) studied Health Care, Ethics & Policy at TilburgU. She works for a health insurance company and is a member of the Gemeenteraad (Tilburgs local council).