Οι 2 σημαντικότερες εθνικές γιορτές της

national-holiday-blog-post

Important national holidays

Last week, the Dutch celebrated two very important national holidays that takes place annually on 4 and 5 May. The 4th of May is known in Dutch as Nationale Dodenherdenking (National Remembrance for the Victims of the WW II and After), while the 5th of May is also known as Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day).

On this day, the Dutch nation celebrates the liberation from the Nazi occupation after honouring their victims the day before.

The first day is a day of reflection and remembrance, the second a day of joy and resurrection.

On 4 May 1945, the German occupation forces surrendered and it was officially signed the next day in Wageningen, the Netherlands, in the presence of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (Commander of the Dutch armed forces) and representatives of the Allies.

Five years earlier, on 10 May 1940, Nazi Germany had unexpectedly launched an attack on the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which until then had remained neutral. The Dutch fought for five years on most war fronts, from Europe and the Atlantic to the Far East, in Indonesia, New Guinea and the Pacific.

There were also brutal battles during the invasion and liberation of the country, the most famous of which was the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944.

Total casualties of soldiers and civilians during the war have been estimated at 210,000-250,000, although some recent findings give a higher figure of 280,000-310,000 casualties.

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