You may have heard of it: on King’s Day, people from Zoetermeer come together for a so-called aubade. What does this mean and why are they doing this?
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Look up the term ‘aubade’ in the Van Daleyou will get the following explanation: morning tribute with music. Well, a musical tribute. That gives a hint, but does not say what it exactly means. Oranjevereniging Hooglanderveen goes into more detail: “An aubade is originally a ritual performance of a piece of music or song, which takes place in the morning (aube = tomorrow in French). The characteristic of this is that the performance takes place in public.” This is also the case with the aubade on King’s Day: Willem-Alexander is publicly sung to in many cities in the morning.
Aubade on King’s Day in Zoetermeer
It is difficult to determine when the aubade became a tradition on King’s Day. It is certain that it does not happen in every city or municipality. In Zoetermeer it has been a tradition for years. Since the King does not visit Zoetermeer every year on King’s Day, Mayor Michel Bezuijen acts as a symbolic replacement. He then stands in front of Zoetermeerders and a choir who sing to him accompanied by a band. The Dutch flag is hoisted during the Wilhelmus.
Knights and aubades
You may only know the concept of aubade in connection with King’s Day. But this ritual did not start with our royal family. According to the Oranjevereniging Hooglanderveen, the aubade already has a long history: “In the past, an aubade was a way of courting. A knight publicly sang to his lover.”
Do you want to be at the aubade in Zoetermeer this year? Then make sure you are at the Stadhuisplein at 09:00! Do you also want to know what else there is to do on King’s Day in Zoetermeer? Then read this article.