ERASMUS MAGAZINE

online - summer 2012

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Message from the President ... ... ... 2

History of Queen’s Day ... ... ... ... 3

Queen’s Day in Groningen ... ... ... 4

Queen’s Day outside Groningen ... ... 5

Public Transportation on the day ... ... 7

The drama in Apeldoorn ... ... ... ... 8

History of Liberation Day ... ... ... 9

Liberation Day in Groningen ... ... ... 10

Liberation Day outside Groningen ... ... 11

The Dutch Royal Family ... ... ... ... 13

Personal Column : Queen’s Day ... ... 17

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Dear international students,

Many holidays are coming up this spring. In this online maga-zine we will give you an overview of upcoming Dutch holi-days, activities and festivals. Please mark your calendar for Queens Day ( in Dutch “Koninginnedag”)! This national holi-day is widely celebrated in the Netherlands. On St. Patrick’s Day Ireland is colored green, on Queens Day the Netherlands is completely covered in orange! On April 30, we celebrate the birthday of the (former) Queen. Every year, Dutch cit-ies are packed with people dressed in orange. For instance, last year, Amsterdam was packed with over two million visi-tors! Throughout the country festivities are organized; not only the major cities, but also the smaller towns celebrate this holiday. In this edition, we will provide information for upcoming Queens Day events in major cities this year. Also, you can find the story behind Queens Day, activities in Gron-ingen, and information about public transportation.

Apart from Queens Day, Liberty Day is also a national holiday. On May 5th, we celebrate Liberty Day (Bevrijdingsdag). This day marks the end of the German occupation in 1945. This national holiday is celebrated with music festivals through-out the country. In this online issue, you can also find infor-mation on Bevrijdingsdag festivals in Groningen and other cities.

Have fun!

Nadia, Jolien, Arina, Aman and Geeskelien

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On 30th April, the Netherlands, along with the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, will celebrate their national holiday known as Queen’s Day, or Koninginnedag in Dutch. It is Queen Beatrix’s official birthday, although 30th April was actually the birthday of her mother and predecessor, Juliana.

The holiday was first observed on 31 August 1885 as Prinsessed-ag or Princess’s Day, the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, heiress to the Dutch throne. On her accession, the holiday acquired its present name, Koninginnedag. When held on 31 August the holiday was the final day of school summer vaca-tion, leading to its popularity among children. Following the accession of Wilhelmina’s daughter Queen Juliana in 1948, the holiday was moved to her birthday. Her daughter, Beatrix retained the celebration on 30 April after she took the throne in 1980, since the weather is much more suitable for outdoor activities, as compared to January when it’s actually her birthday. Beatrix altered her mother’s custom of receiving a floral parade near a royal palace, instead choosing to visit different Dutch towns each year and join in the festivities.

This year, in 2012, the Queen and her family will be visiting Rhenen and Veenendaal.

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Every year on 30th April, the city of Groningen gets flooded with tens of thousands of people who join the Queen’s grand celebration. No wonder, as on Queen’s Day there is a big party with live performances on various stages in the city.

The festivities go loose on the night before Queen’s Day, known as Queen’s Night. There is plenty of action with stages at Grote Markt and Vismarkt, several parties in bars and clubs. There is entertainment in the Oosterstraat, the Gelkingestraat, the Peperstraat, the Poelestraat and in the Ellebogenbuurt. Various pop, electro and rock bands will perform at Grote Markt. In Westerhaven, the theme of the party will be ‘Crazy Queen Night‘. From 18.00 to 01.00 DJs Asino di Medico, Daan Devito, José en Alain Diaz will rock you with the hottest beats! At the Vismarkt, various cover bands and Dutch acts will entertain the crowd. The next day, Queen’s Day, festivities continue with a large flea market in the morning and music later on. There is big entertainment show at the Grote Markt with performances by various na-tional and international artists. On the Vismarkt, punk, rock and alternative bands will take the stage. This year, it is ex-pected that 200,000 people will visit Groningen for Queen’s Day, so get ready for some big royal festivities!

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NDo you want to see the Dutch Queen and other members of the Dutch royal family in real life? This is your change! On April 30 2012, the royal family will travel to the Provence of Utrecht. This year, the the royal family will visit Rhenen and Veenendaal, in the center of the Netherlands. The royal family will be welcomed by city officials and will participate in activities that are planned for them.

AMSTERDAMIf you want a more exciting day, the city of Amsterdam is the place to be this year. Previous years, large festivals were held at the city center, but this year music festivals be held just outside the city center to prevent (too) large crowds entering the center.

Festival Amsterdam: 12.00 – 20.00 A large music festival will be held at the Olympic Stadion. National and International artists will artist will perform this day. Among others: Alex Under, Green Velvet, 2000 and One, Fakeblood, Juan Sanchez en Clockwork. Tickets will be € 13,50 if you book in advance, and tickets at the door will be €20,00.

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If you don’t want to spend that much money, the city center will be fun as well. Tip: neighborhood De Pijp is always a great place to go for food and drinks. Also, it is also great ex-pierence to celebrate Queens Day on a boat and sail through the canals.

UTRECHT

There will be plenty of DJ’s and artist performing at the Domplein in Utrecht on Queens Day. In the city center, 80s and 90s hits are played during the day. If you are not inter-ested in 80s and 90s hits, you can also go to Vredenburg. From 12.00 - 18.00, Olene Kadar, Lauhaus, Boris Werner, Daniel Sanchez, Julien Chaptal en David Labije are perform-ing (no entrance fee).

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During Queens Day, many people will travel to the large cit-ies (Amsterdam and Utrecht) by train or bus. It is a relatively cheap and easy way to travel, but keep in mind that public transportation on Queens Day will be busy!

Busses in Amsterdam and Utrecht will avoid the crowded city cen-ters, and therefore the best thing you can do is to walk a small distance. If you are going to Utrecht, the best thing to do is to exit the train at Hoog-Catharijne sta-tion and walk to the center. This is also the case in Amster-dam, the best thing to do is to exit the train at the Central Station and walk to your destination.

If you cannot decide whether to go to Utrecht or Amster-dam, you can also do both of course. It takes only half an hour by train (from Amsterdam to Utrecht and vice versa). From Groningen to Utrecht or Amsterdam will take you more than 2 hours. For more information go to www.ns.nl.

Tip: Purchase one-day train tickets at Albert Heijn, Kruitvat or Hema when they are for sale ( € 12 / € 16,00). This will save you a lot of money if you are traveling by train!

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The Koniginnendag (Queens day) on the 1st of May 2009 started as a glorious day and ended as a tragedy and left a whole country in a state of shock. In honour of the queen a parade took place in Apeldoorn, 80 km to the east from Am-sterdam. The royal family was driving in a cabriobus passing the cheering crowd, when at 11:51 am a 38 year old Dutch man directed his car with high speed into a crowd of people. Six people died immediately and further nine people got in-jured. The driver burst though the barrier, hit many people and crashed finally into a memorial “de Naald” next to the street. The driver made an attempt on the life’s of the royal family, who were at that moment only 15 meters away on the other side of the street and witnessed the whole inci-dent.

Later the assassin acknowledged that his actual target was queen Beatrix and the rest of the royal family. The severe injured assassin died because of his brain injury in the night right after the attack in the hospital. The ceremony on oc-casion of queen Juliana’s 100 birthday at palace “Het Loo” in Apeldoorn was cancelled and also most of the other cel-ebration in the whole Netherlands. The flags were hoisted to half-mast and queen Beatrix gave a speech full of empathy for the victims and the bereaved.

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YOn May 5th the Netherlands celebrate the Bevrijdingsdag (Liberty Day) to mark the end of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II and the Japanese occupation of Asia. The Dutch celebrate their freedom from oppression and war.

After the World War II. the country was liberated by Canadian troops, the British and the American Armies and the French airborne. The Canadian General Charles Foulkes and the German Commander Johannes Baskowitz reached and agree-ment on the 5th of May 1945, on the capitulation of German forces in the Netherlands and one day later, the capitulation document was signed. The liberation days was then remem-bered every five years till the day was finally declared as a national holiday in 1990. Since then the Liberation day is celebrated on May 5th and festivals are held at most places in the Netherlands. We should realize how important and vulnerable freedom is for humans. Many people fought for the liberty in the Netherlands and even lost their lifes. Keep this day in mind and think of all the people that do not live in freedom and justice in many parts all over the world.

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On Saturday May 5th, the liberation of the Netherlands 67 years ago is celebrated in 16 different cities in the Nether-lands. Together they form the largest one-day cultural event in the Netherlands. The festivals are free to access. In Gron-ingen the Liberty festival is held at the Stadspark.

There are eight different sites with entertainment and stag-es at the Stadspark, including the Urban Area, Kids Area and of course the Main Stage, where famous national and inter-national artists will perform. This year 25 artists will take the stage in Groningen, with artists like Ben Howard, Don Diablo and Band of Skulls.

But there is a lot more than just music. On the Square of In-ner Peace there is room for entertainment, free workshops, dance and music. This year some of the workshops are Yoga Dance, Tango and Djembee. A special site is reserved for the so-called ‘Human Zoo’, where people are being put on display. You get a chance to have a chat with them, get to know something about them and challenge some of the prej-udices there may be about certain cultural backgrounds or lifestyles. There will also be a lot of stalls where you can buy something nice to eat or to drink.

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NDid you see enough of Groningen during Queens Day and are you ready to experience a big festival outside Groningen? There are numerous opportunities to celebrate Liberty Day elsewhere! Around Groningen thereare some festivals where you can go to without travelling more than an hour, such as the festivals in Assen, Leeuwarden and Zwolle. If you don’t mind travelling for an awesome festivalexperience then Utrecht, Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam are options go to to.

ASSENThe festival in Assen is the closest to go to if you wanna cele-brate Liberty Day outside Groningen. Assen has 6 stages with different music styles to offer, such as the mainstage, the dance stage, a festivalarea and an area for children. At the mainstage (starting at 12:00) there are some famous Dutch acts as Di-rect, Alain Clark and Jungle by Night. From soul to rock, the main stage got it all! If you are more into trance, house and techno, you probably would enjoy yourself best at the dance stage where different DJ’s will spin their records and where you can dance the night away! Michel Hartog will start at the Dance Stage at 15:15 and the famous DJ’s Sun-nery James and Ryan Marciano end the night with a two hour session starting 22:00.

ZWOLLEWith 8 stages, the festival in Zwolle is one of the biggest in the north of the Netherlands! Famous Dutch artist will per-form at the main stage from 11:00 onwards. Alain Clark will open the festival, followed by Krystl, Waylon, van Velzen and many more! The names probably doesn’t say much to you, so you might wanna have a look at youtube.com to see who these Dutch artists are. Besides the main stage, they have a stage called Sena Talent Stage where upcoming art-ists perform. Colin Meyer, Stefany June and Grown Cold are promising acts for this stage!

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UTRECHTIn the middle of the Netherlands, about 2 hours from Gronin-gen, the festival in Utrecht will be held. Utrecht has 3 stages with a lot of different music styles to offer! The main stage in Utrecht will start with an act from Nick and Simon. These musicians from the typical Dutch place Volendam have been a couple for years now and they are very succesful with their Dutch songs! After Nick and Simon, there are more Dutch artists to come, for example The Answer. This is a blues- and hardrock band who have been touring for two years with the famous band AC/DC so they are definitely worth seeing!

AMSTERDAMThe capital of the Netherlands is also a fantastic place to go to on the 5th of May! Different stages in Amsterdam where famous Dutch artists will perform is a guarantee for an un-forgettable day. The main stage is at the Dam where the band Wooden Saints will kick-off the festival at the Dam, followed by Go Back To The Zoo, Levellers and Amsterdam Klemzer Band. The second stage is on ‘het Beursplein’ (close to the Dam)and has different acts such as Mister and Missis-sippi, Cirque Valentin and Bart Constant. Of course Amster-dam wouldn’t be Amsterdam if there were only two stages on the 5th of May. Around the city there are many more stages with different music styles. Amsterdam is the only city in the Netherlands that has official Liberty Day afterpar-ties, for example in Bitterzoet, Winston Kingdom and Com-edy Theater In De Nes.

Unfortunately all the information on internet is in Dutch but if you are wanna practice your Dutch or if Google Translate is your best friend you can visit the website www.bevrijdings-festivals.nl and figure our yourself where you would like to go!

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YThe who’s who of the Dutch Royal Family

Queen Juliana (1909-2004) and Prince Bernhard (1911-2004)

Queen Juliana reigned from 1948 until 1980 and was nicknamed by the Dutch people as ‘mother of Holland ‘ because of her warmth and her down to earth approach . In 1937 she married Bernhard von Lippe-Biesterfeld and they had four daughters of which Queen Beatrix was the eldest. The arranged marriage of Juliana and Bernhard is known for its scandals and affaires. The prince took bribes several

times among others in the Lockhead Affair. Furthermore he fathered three extramarital daughters.

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ILYQueen Beatrix (1938-present) and Prince Claus (1926-2002) Queen Beatrix has been Queen of the Netherlands since 1980 when she followed in her mother’s Juliana’s foot-steps. Unlike the arranged marriage of her parents, Beatrix married the men she fell in love with: German diplomat Claus von Amsberg. The marriage which took place in 1966 caused quite a stir, since Beatrix married a German which was quite controversial so soon after WWII. However, during the years Claus won over the hearts of the Dutch people with his dry sense of humor and his boyish pranks. Beatrix and Claus became parents to three boys (Willem-Alexander, Friso & Constantijn). Shortly after Beatrix’s rise to the throne Claus became ill with cancer and Parkinson he battled against these disease until his death on 6 Octo-ber 2002.

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YCrown Prince Willem-Alexander (1967-present) and Princess Maxima (1971-present)

As eldest son of Queen Beatrix, Willem-Alexander is heir to the throne. After his study History the prince specialized in water management. He also became a member of the IOC. Since Alexander is the crown-prince there has always been a lot of speculation about is love life. This speculation became to an end when he became engaged to Argentinean Maxima Zorrequita in march 2001. Their marriage became controversial, because Maxima’s father had been a minister during the dictatorial junta regime in Argentina. For this reason Maxima’s father couldn’t attend the wedding on 02-02-2002. Despite Maxima’s family history she has become the most popular member of the royal family. The pair became parents to three daughters: Amalia(2003), Alexia (2005) and Ariane (2007).

Prince Constantijn (1969-present) and Princess Laurentien (1966-present) Prince Constantijn is the youngest son of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. In 2001 he married Laurentien Brinkhorst, a daughter of the then minister of Economics. Unlike the marriages of his two brothers, his marriage wasn’t scandal-ous or criticized upon. The pair became parents to three

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ILYchildren and live quite an anonymous life in Brussel, where Constantijn works for the EU while his wife writes among other children books.

Prince Friso (1968-2012?) and Princess Mabel (1968-present) Prince Friso is the middle child of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. He married Mabel Wisse-Smit on April 24 2004. Their marriage became quite scandalous after it became pub-lic that Mabel had an affair with one of Holland’s biggest criminals Klaas Bruinsma. Because of this affair Friso had to give up his rights to the throne. Because he gave up these rights Friso could focus on his career and became really successful as Vice-president investment banking at Gold-man & Sachs and as co-director at TNO Space. He is also one of the co-founders of the low-budget air company Wizz air. His successful life was brutally disturbed when he was seriously injured in an avalanche while on skiing holiday last February. He was buried under the snow for 25 min-utes and has remained in a coma ever since.

The day everything in Holland turns Orange

The 30th of April: the day that every Dutchman abroad wish-es he or she was at home. Queensday, the holidays among all the holidays in Holland. A day where everyone wears the color orange no matter how ugly you find the color normally. On Queensday, everyone is your friend even that old class-mate you haven’t seen for years or your irritating neighbor. In summary on Queensday you love orange you love every-one, everyone loves you and we all love the Queen!

For internationals Queensday can be intimidating and weird: why wear that ridiculous color and celebrate the queen? For us Dutch people Queensday is the most normal thing in the world. On this day even the most boring towns in the Neth-erlands (like my hometown) are turning into a bubbling fes-tive. Although when I think about it now, old Dutch games, a flee market and a reconnoitering expedition on a bike doesn’t sound exciting to me, but it really was when I was eight. Especially since when you finished all of the activities you get often treated with an Oranje Tompouce, a delicious pastry which you should certainly try.

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All of this changed in a sudden on the 30th of April 2009 in Apeldoorn, when a crazy person named Karst Tates drove with a car straight through a crowd of people at the moment the royal family was passing by. I remember that day like it was yesterday, since Apeldoorn is only a few kilometers away from my hometown and I knew a lot of my family members went there that day to see the queen and her family. And if I hadn’t worked that day I might have been going myself since it was so nearby. I also remember the look on the faces of all the elderly people at my work, who were sitting in front of the TV, some in orange some with brooches with the Dutch flag pinned on their clothes right to their hearts to show their support for the Queen. They were, like the rest of Holland, completely in shock since the attack took place live on tele-vision and one could see the people flying around. But mostly we were in shock because someone had been trying to ruin Queensday, a day we thought every Dutchman loved.

On this 30th April 2009 a sunny festive day changed in a nightmare for the Netherlands. A day were normally every-one befriends everyone turned in a day full of fear, distrust and panic. A day on which even our normally iron lady queen Beatrix couldn’t hide her emotions on the National Televi-sion.

Three years after the attack, Queensday is just as it was before the 2009 incident: a day full of partying, fun activi-ties and orange everywhere. A day on which even the most republican Dutchman openly says that he loves the queen. One can try to take away Queensday from us but they will never will: we love it too much and I am sure you will love it as much as we do!

Jolien

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