Remembrance of the Dead

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National monument on the Dam Square in Amsterdam

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

Until 1961, the commemoration only related to the Dutch victims of the Second World War. Since 1961, the victims of other military conflicts (such as the Dutch police actions in the Dutch East Indies) 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 8.00 p.m., two minutes of silence are observed throughout the Netherlands. Since May 4 1994, the flags, having hung at half-staff during the day, are then hoisted to the sounds of the Wilhelmus, the Dutch national anthem.

Although the main celebrations get the most attention from the media, there are ceremonies in other cities and places as well, such as the Waalsdorpervlakte near the Hague where many Dutch resistance fighters were executed during the war. In many towns people gather around a monument, listen to speeches and lay down flowers to remember the dead right before or right after the two minutes of silence.

One day later, on May 5, Dutch people celebrate the liberation from the German occupation between 1940 and 1945.