{"id":5824,"date":"2018-09-19T11:51:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T11:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=5824"},"modified":"2018-09-19T11:51:00","modified_gmt":"2018-09-19T11:51:00","slug":"so-what-was-said-during-princes-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/so-what-was-said-during-princes-day\/","title":{"rendered":"So What Was Said During Prince’s Day?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was a big day in regards to fashion and economic policy in the Netherlands. During\u00a0Prinsjesdag 2018, <\/em>King Willem Alexander presented the cabinet’s plans for the upcoming year with important information about budgets and finances. Below the highlights of the events.<\/p>\n

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Photo taken by Minister-President Rutte found on Flickr.com with license CC BY 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n

History<\/h3>\n

Prinsjesdag<\/em>\u00a0began in early 1800, and takes place on the third Tuesday in September. It used to take place on a Monday, however, this was not ideal because people who came from constituencies far from The Hague couldn’t make it for the Monday event. This is why, in 1887, the day was changed to Tuesday to give people the Monday to travel.<\/p>\n

Traditions<\/h3>\n

There are a few traditions during\u00a0Prinsjesdag<\/em>. The King travels from the\u00a0Paleis Noordeinde\u00a0<\/em>to the\u00a0Binnenhof\u00a0<\/em>with the beautiful\u00a0Gouden Koets<\/em> or Golden Carriage. This beautiful carriage from the 19th century was a gift from the people of Amsterdam to the queen. Because it is so precious, the\u00a0koets<\/em> is used only for special occasions such as\u00a0Prinsjesdag<\/em>, a royal wedding, or the baptism of their children.<\/p>\n

Once the King and Queen arrive, they take their place in the\u00a0troon<\/em> or throne, and the king reads the speech especially prepared by the cabinet. Once he is done, the chairwoman of the eerste kamer,\u00a0<\/em>Ankie Broekers-Knol,\u00a0<\/em>says\u00a0leve de koning\u00a0<\/em>and all present reply\u00a0hoera! hoera! hoera!<\/em><\/p>\n

After the ceremony, the king and queen return to the palace and pose for the famous balkonsc\u00e8ne.<\/em><\/p>\n

Money talks<\/h3>\n

During his speech, the king lays out the plan for the upcoming year. Big changes are briefly mentioned, but it is safe to say you get an idea of the intentions for the upcoming year. In 2013, for example, the King announced the end of the generous welfare state and asked families to contribute more to each other’s care. This year’s theme was more along the lines of giving back to the people after all the cutbacks the government took due to the economic crisis in 2008. According to his speech, the Dutch will feel a slight ease in their pocketbook.<\/p>\n

The following video explains in more detail the tradition of\u00a0Prinsjesdag.<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/GYNUrbiekn4<\/p>\n

A few of the main points from Prinsjesdag 2018<\/em>\u00a0were growth in the economy, the expected cost of Brexit for the Netherlands, reduction of the 30% ruling for international workers to 5 years, increase in low rate BTW for some food and entertainment, extra money for the police in general and to combat cybercrime, more budget for education, among others.<\/p>\n

Hoedjesdag!<\/h3>\n

This big day isn’t only about politics.\u00a0Prinsjesdag<\/em> also means that we get to see a parade of the latest trends in hats, and this isn’t exclusive to the people who attend the ceremony. Also, those waiting on the streets parade with the most unique and fun hats either purchased or homemade. Below is a quick video of the hats from the day.<\/p>\n