Remembrance of
the Dead (Dutch:
Dodenherdenking) is held annually on
May 4 in
the Netherlands.
It commemorates all civilians and members of
the armed forces of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands who have died in wars or
peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of
World War II.
Until 1961,
the commemoration only related to the
Dutch
victims of
World War II.
Since 1961, the victims of other military
conflicts (such as the
Indonesian National
Revolution in
Indonesia)
and peacekeeping missions (such as in
Lebanon or
Bosnia) are
remembered on May 4 as well. Traditionally,
the main ceremonies are observed in
Amsterdam
at the national monument on
Dam Square.
This ceremony is usually attended by members
of the cabinet and the
royal family,
military leaders, representatives of the
resistance movement
and other social groups. At 8:00 p.m., two
minutes of
silence are
observed throughout the Netherlands. Public
transport is stopped, as well as all other
traffic Radio and TV only broadcast the
ceremonies from 19.00 until 20.30. Since May
4, 1994, the flags, having hung at
half-staff
during the day, are then hoisted to the
sounds of the
Wilhelmus,
the Dutch
national anthem.
Since 2001 the new protocol says it is
correct to let the flag hang half-staff. The main
celebrations in Amsterdam are broadcast by
the public broadcasting company NOS, but
there are ceremonies in other cities and
places as well. Especially notable are those
at the Waalsdorpervlakte near
the Hague
where many Dutch resistance fighters were
executed during the war and at the war
cemetery
Grebbeberg,
which are broadcast by the commercial
broadcasting companies. In many towns,
before or after the two minutes of silence,
people gather around a monument, listen to
speeches, and lay down flowers to remember
the dead. One day later,
on
May 5,
Dutch people
celebrate the
liberation from the
German
occupation between 1940 and 1945
