May 4 – Remembrance of the Dead in the Netherlands

nPostednMay 4, 2015

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Mostnnations have a holiday to honor their fallen soldiers, and thenNetherlands are no different. Today many people will gather at thencapital city of Amsterdam, at the National Monument on Dam Square,nand others will gather for ceremonies in their home towns. Flags arenflown at half staff – the symbol for mourning. At 20:00, the entirennation stops for two minutes of silence. Even public transport andnall traffic is stopped for those two minutes. n

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nAfternthe two minutes of silence, people often listen to speeches, lay downnflowers to remember the dead, or gather together to listen to andnsing the national anthem. n

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nThisnholiday used to commemorate just those who died during World War II,nbut now it is for all members of the armed forces who died in wars ornpeacekeeping missions. Tomorrow, May 5, Dutch people celebrate then1945 liberation of the Netherlands from more than four years ofnGerman occupation.

nNether means “low”…

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nThenNetherlands is a small but densely populated European nation that isncalled “Low Country” (Nether lands) for good reason. Aboutna quarter of the nation actually lies BELOW sea level, anothernquarter of the country rises up from a few inches to about a yardn(one meter) above sea level, and the rest of the nation is a bitnhigher than that – but the highest ground in the entire nation,ncalled “the Mount of Vaals,” is either just a hill or is just barely a mountain. It’s tip is about 1,000nfeet (about 320 m) above sea level.

In contrast, the highestnpoint in the U.S. is more than 20,000 feet (more than 6,000 meters)nabove sea level, and even the U.K. has an actual mountain rising upnto 3,560 feet (1,085 meters).

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nBynthe way, in case you want to know what the cut-off point between anhill and a mountain is, the U.S. Geological Survey says that there isnno official difference between hills and mountains, but in the U.K.ngeographers historically regarded mountains as hills that are greaternthan 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level.

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nHow do they do it?

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Ifnyou are wondering how Dutch people manage to not be constantlynflooded in their lower-than-sea-level lands, apparently the dams,nsluices, locks, dikes, and storm surge barriers of Delta Works, innthe Netherlands, has been declared one of the Seven Wonders of thenModern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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nOfncourse, the Dutch still have more than 1,000 old windmills thatndrains excess water out of fields. The windmills are also useful innanother way – they have become a tourist attraction!