Netherlands’ Day of Liberation

Every year in May, Holland celebrates two special days: Day of Remembrance on May 4 and Day of Liberation on May 5.

My husband, Al, and I were in Holland on both of those days in 2005. On the Day of Remembrance, we saw how they decorated military cemeteries with flowers and observed two minutes of silence at 8 p.m. (This was observed throughout Holland, even at traffic stops.)

On the next day, Holland celebrates the end of World War II. At the war memorials and other places, we saw many engraved messages, including, “We are eternally grateful to the Americans and British for saving our country.”

As visiting Americans, we were in awe at the gratitude personally expressed to us over and over.

On the evening of the 5th, we attended a special service at a church near our B&B. The choir sang songs of praise and thankfulness and, of course, Holland’s national anthem.

We have seldom been in a place where there was such a tangible feeling of gratitude and pride. That day in Holland was the most emotionally impressive of any experience we’ve had in all of our travels.

EMILY MOORE

Greenville, IL

May 5, 2015, will mark the 70th anniversary of the Netherlands’ Day of Liberation. Parades, festivals and celebrations are planned throughout the country.