Remembrance of the Dead

This article is about the Dutch day of remembrance of war-dead. For other uses, see Death customs.

Remembrance of the Dead
File:Eerste Krans door de Koning.jpg Commemoration ceremony at Dam Square in Amsterdam on 4 May 2014
Official name	Dodenherdenking
Observed by	Netherlands
Type	Remembrance
Significance	Commemorates war dead
Observances	Two minutes of silence
Date
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Liberation Day

File:Dodenherdenkingsdag in Amsterdam.ogv

Dodenherdenking in Amsterdam 1962, Dutch newsreel

Remembrance of the Dead (Dutch: Dodenherdenking) is held annually on 4 May 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.

Description

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 20:00, 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 4 May 1994, the flags, having hung at half-staff from 18:00 onwards, are then hoisted to the music of the "Wilhelmus", the Dutch national anthem. Since 2001 the new protocol says it is allowed to let the flag hang half-staff.

The main commemorations 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.

The next day, on 5 May, Dutch people celebrate the liberation of the nation from the German occupation of 1940 to 1945.

See also

• History of the Netherlands (1939–1945)

External links

• Official site of Remembrance and Liberation day (Dutch)
• English summary on official site