Originally Hartjesdag (Day of Hearts) was a festival celebrated on the third Monday in August in the Dutch areas of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

and

Bloemendaal Bloemendaal () is a municipality and town in the Western Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. Bloemendaal is, together with Wassenaar, the wealthiest place in the Netherlands. It is located just west of Haa ...

and in various parts of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, particularly around the

Haarlemmerplein Amsterdam-Centrum is the inner-most borough and historical city centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, containing the majority of the city's landmarks. Established in 2002, Amsterdam-Centrum was the last area in the city to be granted the status of se ...

, in the

Jordaan The Jordaan () is a neighbourhood of the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is part of the Boroughs of Amsterdam, borough of Amsterdam-Centrum. The area is bordered by the Singelgracht canal and the neighbourhood of Frederik Hendrikbuurt to the ...

, and in the

Dapperbuurt Dapperbuurt is a neighbourhood located in the east of Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933, ...

. On Hartjesdag fires were kindled and children collected money. Later it developed itself into a type of

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

, where men dressed as women, and women dressed as men. A typical scene was captured in the oil painting entitled ''Hartjesdag'', by the artist

Johan Braakensiek Johan Coenraad Braakensiek (24 May 1858 – 27 February 1940) was a Dutch painter, illustrator, caricaturist and political cartoonist. He is the grandfather of Jan van Oort. Personal life Braakensiek was born in Amsterdam, the son of Albert ...

in 1926.

Origin and development

Where the name ''Hartjesdag'' comes from is not clear. Probably it has arisen in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. It is suspected that the name is a bastardisation of 'hertjesdag' (Deer Day). This was a festival where in the forests around

deer (herten) hunting could be done by the ordinary people, which was normally reserved for

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

. The deer were then taken to

and roasted in the streets. During the German occupation in 1943 the Hartjesdag became prohibited, and after the war it eventually became obsolete. In 1997 a local committee in the

Zeedijk Zeedijk (''English'': "Sea Levee, dike") is a street in the old centre of Amsterdam. The street is the northern and eastern boundary of De Wallen red-light district and runs between Prins Hendrikkade and Nieuwmarkt. Historically an area riddled ...

, Amsterdam, decided to see if they could revive the tradition. Each year since then, the festival has flourished into a two-day event on the 3rd weekend in August.

Photo-impression

Some photos of the Hartjesdag celebration in 2005: Image:KJS DSC01265.jpg Image:KJS DSC01270.jpg Image:KJS DSC01271.jpg Image:KJS DSC01285.jpg Image:KJS DSC01304.jpg Image:KJS DSC01321.jpg Image:KJS DSC01327.jpg Image:KJS DSC01350.jpg Image:KJS DSC01362.jpg

External links

Webpage of the Hartjesdagen
Festivals in the Netherlands August observances Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)

Origin and development

Photo-impression

See also

External links