August 16, 2009; Zeedijk, Amsterdam @ 16.00 - 17.00
Today's 'photo of the day' merits an entire small album as it was 'Hartjesdag' (day of hearts) in Amsterdam which is kind of a carnival festival. The roots of this festival is unclear although most experts believe that it dates from the Middle Ages, perhaps as early as 1200 - 1300.
It may come from an old festival called 'hertjesdag' (day of the deer) which
was the one day in the year that commoners were allowed to hunt, an activity
traditionally reserved for royalty. On that day, people would
gather in the woods hunting and holding a festival.
The other theory is that Hartjesdag was an annual costume party for commoners,
also an activity traditionally only practiced by royalty. But because everyone
was so poor and of course could not afford a costume, men would dress as women
and women would dress as men.
It is this dress-up version of the festival that has been practiced for a couple of hundred years. Today most people think that it is just a sort of after-party for Gay Pride which is always held two weeks earlier. The festival was outlawed by the Germans in 1943 and it took until 1997 to be re-established as an initiative to rejuvenate the entertainment area of the Zeedijk in Amsterdam's Chinatown area.
See the entire album here.
De hartjesdag 2009 was weer geweldig!
Foto's op: www.imagespics.com/hartjesdag
Posted by: PICS | 17/08/2009 at 21:28