This year, on April 27, will be the first time in 123 years that the Dutch will celebrate King’s Day. The Netherlands has had a queen as their monarch ever since King William III died in 1890. At 46, King William Alexander is the youngest monarch in Europe.

April 27, Willem-Alexander’s birthday

The Dutch have been celebrating Queen’s Day on 30 April, which is the birthday of our previous Queen Juliana, since 1949. On her investiture Queen Beatrix decided to retain the date in honour of her mother and because her own birthday on 31 January was unsuitable for the traditional outdoor festivities. Starting this year we will be celebrating King’s Day on 27 April, 2014, Willem-Alexander’s birthday.

Symbols

The national flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolor flag with red at the top, white in the middle and blue at the bottom. On some feast days, an orange strip of cloth, known as a wimpel, is hung above the national flag. This is a symbol for the Dutch royal family, which uses the name “House of Orange-Nassau”. The national flag and the colors red, white, blue and orange are widely displayed on King’s Day. Many people make a special effort to wear an orange item of clothing, to dye their hair orange or to color their faces orange. Accessories that combine the color orange with some symbol of the royal family, such as a crown or a lion, are especially popular.

Celebration in South Florida for King’s Day 2014

The Dutch Club in Miami will celebrate King’s Day on April 27 and over 200 people are expected to attend. VOORN CROQUETTES will be serving croquettes (kroketten) and cocktail croquettes (bitterballen). Part of the proceeds of the sales will go to the Dutch school “De Oranjebloesem” in Miami.

For more information on the event please visit the website:

http://dutchclubsouthflorida.com/koningsdag-2014/

Or email: info@dutchclubsouthflorida.com