The Netherlands Embassy in Indonesia for the first time celebrated King'€™s Day on Tuesday, replacing the traditional Queen'€™s Day festival after Queen Beatrix abdicated last year in favor of her eldest son, King Willem-Alexander.

Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd de Zwaan said in his speech that since 1890, the Netherlands had only had queens.

'€œWe have had Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Juliana and Queen Beatrix. On April 20 last year, the Netherlands got a king for the first time since the 19th century,'€ he said in a speech during the celebration.

King'€™s Day replaced Queen'€™s Day, due to Willem-Alexander ascending the throne last year to become the first male monarch from the Netherlands'€™ ruling House of Orange in living memory.

On Tuesday, several prominent figures and hundreds of people, including other countries'€™ ambassadors, attended the celebration. Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said in his speech that Indonesia had good relations with the Netherlands in many areas, such as water management and higher education.

Ambassador De Zwaan said in his speech that relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands were excellent and the two had very broad and forward-looking collaboration.

He said that collaboration between Indonesia and the Netherlands would be enhanced in the future, because the two countries had signed a joint-declaration on comprehensive and intensive partnerships.

'€œLast year, Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited this country to sign an umbrella document which covers a range of areas and sub-areas the two countries strive for and undertake to work together,'€ he said.

In the Netherlands, King'€™s Day festivities began on Friday evening for hard-core partyers and climaxed on Saturday, with open-air markets and concerts around the country. The king and his wife, Queen Maxima, visited the scenic village of De Rijp, 36 kilometers north of Amsterdam.

In the past 122 years, the Netherlands'€™ national holiday has always been called Queen'€™s Day, which used to be celebrated on April 30. King'€™s Day will be celebrated every April 27.

The country marked its first King'€™s Day since the occasion was first celebrated in 1890 when Princess Wilhelmina became queen following the death of her father.

Queen Juliana, Wilhelmina'€™s daughter, was crowned in 1948 and from 1949, Queen'€™s Day was marked on her birthday on April 30.

Queen Beatrix, who is Juliana'€™s daughter, became queen on April 30, 1980. Her birthday is on Jan. 31, but Queen'€™s Day remained on April 30, which coincided with Queen Beatrix'€™s coronation and her mother'€™s birthday. (gda)

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