Fourth of May.

May four, eight o’clock, as long as I can remember is a moment in which we sat in front of the television watching the Waalsdorpervlakte.  Nowadays there’s also a broadcast of the commemoration at the Dam in Amsterdam. 

Prior to the official ceremony there’s a ceremony in the “Nieuwe Kerk” which is attended by the royal family and members of the government. This is a more formal ceremony. In contrast to the Waalsdorpervlakte in which only the victims of the Second World War are being remembered, at the Dam they remember all who  died in wars all over the world.

I’m more impressed about the simplicity of the Waalsdorpervlakte ceremony  for the civilian and the relatives than the one at Amsterdam with all the dignitaries. Maybe it’s because I grew up with watching the Waaldorpervlakte on television.

In the Netherlands there’s always the two minutes of silence at 20.00 hours sharp. It’s a widely adopted custom in our country to be quiet at eight for a few minutes. This is noticeable when you’re traveling; at the airport, at the railway station and even along the roads; especially the older people park their car for a moment. The last years some people have been worried if the younger people will continue to remember this day and especially the reason why. I don’t think this is something to worry about. Of course we have to face some idiots, who can say or do terrible things and have no respect whatsoever. Besides that, we’re living in a country with a lot of different cultures, people who came here with their own war memories. So the accentuation of remembrance day will move to general remembering. However, when I see the long waiting queue to enter “het Anne Frank Huis” I think there’s no reason to be afraid the Second World War will ever be forgotten.