|
|
Queen"s Day in Holland
April 30th
20040423_2765_queen_0.jpg
Where would you find a Labrador(拉布拉多猎狗)begging for money while sitting
patiently on the corner of a crowded street with a notice tied around his neck
reading "nearly blind dog, please give"? Or multi-millionaire and former CEO of
Europe"s largest broadcasting production company squatting on an old rug selling
discarded children"s toys and general household bits and pieces for no more then
a couple of guilders(荷兰盾)? Welcome to Queen‘s Day April 30th.
The formula for celebrating Queen’s day is unique to the Dutch. You
rummage(到处翻寻)through your house gathering all the artifacts you want to get rid
of, haul them into the city or local village, find a suitable place where you
can display them to passersby, and sell it for as much or as little possible.
But there is more to Queen‘s day than selling your past, creativity can play an
important roll in the pursuit of profit.
Queen"s day was first celebrated on 30 April 51 years ago. It exists in its
present festive form only since 1980, when the current Queen, Beatrix, chose her
mother"s birthday as the day for her inauguration(就职典礼). She also declared that
in future, 30 April would stay Queen"s Day, as a mark of honour to her mother.
Beatrix herself was born on 31 January, when it is too cold for open-air
festivities.
20040423_2765_queen_1.jpg
Mind Games
For instance, you could have your palm read or your fortune told for 5
guilders. Sounds simple, but modern deception can make it more fun. While your
friend is in the tent getting his/her fortune told, you are being quizzed by an
assistant about the others personal life - which is all fed into a hidden
microphone! The person doing the fortune telling is listening to every word
you"re saying and relating that to the person sitting across from them.
Astonishment, amazement and utter bewilderment can only ensue - and the laughter
when the cat is out of the bag.
Another money spinner to be found during Queen"s Day is three or four
oranges in a bucket of water. You place a coin on the orange, if it stays there
for more then four seconds you get double the money back. Be warned, the orange
rarely loses!
Music in the Air
20040423_2765_queen_2.jpg
More human talents can also be displayed, for instance in the couple of
square miles covering the "Jordaan" in Amsterdam you can easily find as many as
nine or ten bands playing to beer drinking crowds in the narrow streets, thereby
slowing down your exploration of Queen"s Day considerably.
Adults do not only have the upper hand(优势)in entertainment on this day. The
Vondel park, a large city park in the centre of Amsterdam is only open to
children looking to make an extra guilder. The music teachers tyranny finally
reaps its fruit when children finally get the chance to play to a public other
than their family or friends. Violin"s, Cello"s and a large percentage of
typical wooden flutes drown out(淹没)the usual sounds of birds singing in the
trees, or rather they have fled the sound of horsehair bows and catgut strings
crying for mercy.
The Day After
The aftermath of Queen’s Day is one of disbelief and utter shock for
tourists arriving in any of the major cities. Tons of rubbish such as cloths,
clapped out hi-fi equipment, furniture, bottles, toys, beer cans, plastic cups
litter the streets, all the streets. One would think a war had been fought. A
battleground would look more organised, although the only wounded are those
nursing a hangover, or disappointing takings from a hard days work. |
|
发表于 2016-7-9 23:18:37