Queen's Day turns into Abdication and Investiture Day - Orange Day in Holland

 Queen's Day, the traditional celebration of the birthday of Queen Beatrix falling on April 30. Queen's Day means going to Holland, visit nice friends and go bargain hunting on the national day of flea markets. On this special day, everybody can put up a stall and sell stuffs from used clothes, vases and homemade cakes and cookies in all the big Dutch cities from Amsterdam to Utrecht.
Queen's Day this year is doubly special as it celebrates the abdication of Queen Beatrix (she is now called Princess Beatrix) and the investiture of the new king, Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand, head of the Dutch Royal House and the House of Amberg. He became the first male monarch of the Netherlands since the death of William 111 in 1896. (Source:wiki)

The whole country is flooded with orange colors. Loyal cities and  villages have their own ways of celebrating April 30 with loud music not missing and beers flowing.
For this especial celebration, I was invited with another group of visitors to watch the "coronation" program in a Dutch bar/resto - first in the front row, so to say giving us "larger than life" taste of the ceremony. We had fun naming recognized faces among the VIPs and wanted to know one particular stunning beauty wearing a heavy necklace which competes with her radiance. We were also curious to know who has been invited from the home country to join the
ceremony. Fortunately or unfortunately, no Rajah nor Sultana could represent Filipinas. Sabah is still a hot issue I think to be able to send its own Sultan or Sultana. Below are some of my own photos taken during this special Queen's Day.

Quess who's coming to Queen's Day, from Milano to Portugal

How about lerning how to cook Tajine and Couscous?

Orange, orange everywhere

Siguro isip niya: Kailan kaya ako magiging King?

Celebrating the Day with Special Treat Courtesy of King George

She said it's okay to take her photo...thank you Little Princess

Selling your angel or your cups - wait for Queen's Day

Orange People posing willingly for souvenir shots

Did you ever play Marbles?

Cotton candies to pacify future princess-one could never know

Piyesta ng Orange

The older, the better

Non stop dancing orange queens

Can you guess their names and kingdoms? (Photo Source: dailymail.co.uk)

Signing of the Abdication Documents (Photo Source:dailymail.co.uk)

The First Family (Photo Source:dailymail.co.uk)

Will it still be celebrated as King's Day every year on  April 30? Will it be blue or orange?  We will know from King Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand. Wish you well and hope your people will be grateful to have you as the new King of The Netherlands. Hip, hip, hooray! (They actually said those words during the investiture.)

Colorful World on Palm Sunday in The Netherlands

 Instead of palm fronds, sprigs of boxwood, myrtle, willow, yew or olive leaves are blessed to celebrate Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week for Christians.

 Children choir De Kernzangers of Felicitas Parochie waiting for the start of the Holy Mass

 Children leading the Community Prayer and Petitions

 For this particular Palm Sunday, children read on the situation of farmers in Honduras.

 More on the hard work of people especially children in Honduras. For their part, the kids were able to collect some 200Euro to donate to children of Honduras.

 Preparation for the Holy Communion

 Children Carrying Gift "Chandelier" for sick children in one hospital

 Looking for the right term for this pole or chandelier made of candies and other gifts prepared by the children for sick kids in a hospital somewhere in Spijkennisse

Filipinas attending the Holy Mass in Sint Felictias Kerk: Mila, Claire, Mherzy and Betsy

I am posting below one of the songs rendered by the De Kernzangers during the Holy Mass with the English rough translation provided by google and minor corrections from me.

 

 

Kleurrijk

In het kleurboek van de wereld zijn de kleuren ingevuld.
zwarte aarde, rode rozen,
geel geworden golvend graan.
Blauwe druiven, paarse heide,
groene wei en witte zwaan.

Refrein:	Vul de dagen van je leven met je eigen kleuren in.
	Elke bladzij is weer anders, elke dag een nieuw begin (2x).

In het kleurboek van de wereld zijn de kleuren ingevuld.
Rood, je schaamt je, groen is afgunst,
blauw dat word je van de kou.
Paars van woede, wit van kwaadheid,
geel van nijd en zwart in rouw.

Refrein

Als het kleurboek van jezelf is, kies je toch jouw kleuren uit.
Groen natuurlijk, geel gelukkig,
blauw, je voelt je sterk als staal.
Rood voor liefde, roze vriendschap,
kleurling zijn we allemaal.

Refrein

Colourful

In the coloring book of the world, colors are filled in
black earth, red roses,
turned yellow wavy grain.
Blue grapes, purple heather,
green meadow and white swan.
Refrain: Enter the days of your life with your own colors.
  Each page is different, every day is a new beginning (2x).
The coloring of the world are the colors filled:
Red, for shame,  green for envy,
blue that you become the cold.
Purple with rage, white with anger,
yellow from envy and black in mourning.
refrain
In your own coloring book,  you still choose your colors.
Green for being natural , yellow for happiness
blue for feeling strong  as steel.
Red for love, pink for friendship
we are all colorful. 

Have a Meaningful Holy Week!

Christmas Eve 2012

To start the day, I got three pieces of Oiliebollen which I thought could only be purchased on Sylvester but everything seems to be available from strawberries to baby corns. No stress, we promised ourselves so we spent the early part of the day reading and eating in between these oily but delicious Oiliebollen.

What to eat on the holiest night of the year? Got excited looking at the huge crabs

at the weekend market and got this piece looking so unfriendly. I thought  I would make this recipe of

crabs with black beans, crabs cooked in coconut milk or just steamed. Rushed again to the village supermarket to get last minute ready to grill stuffs for a Plan B Noche Buena. 

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

SCD or Santa Claus Day in Germany

Santa Claus, Sinterklaus or Sankt Niklaus is coming to town.

Valentine

Valentine

Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.

Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are
for as long as we are.

Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.

Carol Ann Duffy

Valentine's Day in Alemanya
Thursday, 2008 February 14
Weather: Foggy as in Foggy
Not Love
but condensed milk in the air
Hubby still sleeps
We have a date
if the weather will permit
to see the film
Charlie Wilson's War
Nope, we are not getting
romantic because it is Valentine's Day
It is Film Day - on Thursday
movies are cheaper.
In the meantime
will look for another soul mate
who thinks Valentine's Day in Germany
is commercial as in commercial
but where in the world
do you find uncommercialized Valentine's Day
from chocolates to gift of special rates of tanning studios
so women get as commercial as you can
it is Valentine's Day
go back to the classics
coffee, tarts and cream
shopping, window shopping.

Return of Spring in February

20*C+M+B*08 Christus mansionem benedicat

Wir kommen daher aus dem Morgenland,
Wir kommen geführt von Gottes Hand,
Wir wünschen Euch ein fröliches Jahr,
Caspar, Melchior und Baltasar.

This is not that sort of trick or treat thing we
know but a serious project launched every year
on Epiphany, January 6 by the German Catholic Youth and
Kindermissionswerk `Die Sternsinger`. Dressed as the
Three Wise Men, these kids go from house to house
singing `We come from the Orient
led by the hand of God
We wish you a happy year
Caspar, Melchior and Baltasar`
and collecting donation for projects like
training and education for youth and children,
medication for children who are suffering from Aids
and children who are mal or undernourished.
Hey, kids how about women who are malnourished
stuffing themselves with chocolates, cassava cake
and langgonisa with red wine?

For Caro and Christian

 

Our best wishes on your Wedding Day, 29. June. 2007