Orange in Dutch – Why Does the Netherlands Wear Orange?

The strange color orange is worn by The Netherlands national teams when they compete in competitions. You might be curious as to why I, along with other Netherlands national team supporters, prefer to wear orange to a somewhat more conventional color.

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Orange is a symbol of national pride for the Dutch, who wear it on their national teams to represent their pride in their country. The word “Orange” refers to the surname of the Dutch Royal Family, the House of Orange-Nassau, whose founding father was William of Orange.

William of Orange, the country’s founding father in the sixteenth century, is to blame for the color orange in The Netherlands today.

Who Was William Of Orange?

The rebellion against Spain was led by William of Orange, who is credited with founding the Netherlands.

In Germany in 1533, William of Nassau-Dillenburg was born, becoming William of Orange. In 1544, William took on the title of Prince of Orange after inheriting the Principality of Orange in southern France.

The Principality of Orange was then still a stand-alone county state in southern France’s Provence. William became a sovereign and, at least in his own eyes, an equal of the King of Spain, who at the time ruled over the Netherlands, when he was given the title Prince of Orange.

Ironically, despite the fact that the Principality of Orange was his most prized possession and that the title of Prince of Orange was the most significant title in his life, William never traveled there.

William was given the full name William of Orange-Nassau, which is frequently shortened to William of Orange. William of Orange led the Dutch army until his assassination in Delft in 1584 during the 80-year (1568–1648) duration of the Dutch Republic’s war of independence against Spain.

William of Orange won significant victories in the early battles against Spain during the first 16 years of the war, laying the groundwork for The Republic of the Seven Provinces, the name given to The Netherlands at the time.

Why Is The Dutch Flag Not Orange?

You might be wondering why the Dutch flag is not orange or at least partially orange given the significance of William of Orange to The Netherlands.

When the Netherlands was first established, the national flag of that country was orange, white, and blue. The Dutch flag’s change from orange to red served as a symbol of the political split between the House of Orange and the new Dutch Republic.

When Dutch forces overran the city of Den Briel in the war with Spain in 1572, orange was first used as a symbol of the country. The William of Orange army’s uniforms, which featured these colors, served as the source of inspiration for these colors.

However, orange was not a permanent component of the Dutch flag and was replaced with red between 1630 and 1660.

Orange in Dutch - Why Does the Netherlands Wear Orange? - Travel Pixy — The original Dutch Flag (above) and the Dutch flag in 2023 (below)

Why Did The Dutch Flag Change From Orange To Red?

Between 1630 and 1660, red took the place of orange in the Dutch national flag for three reasons.

1. Orange Had Lower Maritime Visibility

The orange in the Dutch flag is less visible at sea, which is the first justification for the switch from orange to red. The Netherlands’ economic survival at the time depended heavily on foreign trade. This could have been a strong argument back then.

2. Orange Was too challenging to make

The fact that orange was too challenging to produce is a second justification for the Dutch flag’s switch from orange to red. Red was easier and less expensive to produce. It takes rare raw materials to create the color orange. Red became a viable substitute for these expensive and rare materials.

3. The House of Orange’s political clout diminished

Early in the 17th century, Maurits of Orange and Amsterdam’s wealthy merchants got into a power struggle. Maurits wanted to keep fighting, but the merchants thought a short-term cease-fire would be better for business.

The Dutch flag’s orange background was changed to red as a result of the House of Orange’s waning political influence in the new Dutch Republic. The Dutch flag’s red and orange color scheme was changed as a result of this political conflict.

For the following two centuries, The Republic of the Seven Netherlands saw little political influence from the House of Orange. A William of Orange ancestor became the first King of The Netherlands in 1815, the year the Kingdom of The Netherlands was established. However, rather than having political clout, the Dutch King’s role was one of unifying the country symbolically.

The Dutch continue to honor their Royal Family by flying an orange pennant above their national flag on the birthdays of the House of Orange members. That is a perfect illustration of a typical Dutch compromise to satisfy everyone on the contentious political issue of what color the top stripe of the Dutch national flag should be.

If you can’t decide between red and orange, go with both!

Orange in Dutch - Why Does the Netherlands Wear Orange? — The Dutch flag with the orange pennant

What Does Orange Mean In Dutch?

William of Orange is known as Willem van Oranje in Dutch, and Orange is known as Oranje.

English	Dutch
Orange	Oranje
William of Orange	Willem van Oranje

Among his descendants, there have been numerous Williams of Orange, but this one is also referred to as William the Taciturn. He earned the nickname “taciturn” because, while still serving at the Spanish king’s court, he was very evasive about his political aspirations.

Dutch Flag Colors Meaning

The Dutch national flag’s colors stand for the following:

Red is a color that denotes power, bravery, and courage.
White represents integrity and harmony.
The color blue stands for justice, loyalty, truth, and perseverance.

When Did The Colors Of The Dutch Flag Become Official?

Surprisingly, the Dutch flag’s colors weren’t made official until the 20th century.

Red, white, and blue did not officially become the colors of our national flag until 1937. The reason for this was that the Dutch political party NSB, which supported Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party in Germany, wanted to replace the red in the flag with orange once again. They believed that orange would greatly improve national unity because red, in their eyes, was too strongly associated with socialism, which they detested.

The House of Orange-political Nassau’s influence was declining, and the Dutch government did not want this to happen. As a result, the Dutch government moved quickly to thwart this plan and passed a law in 1937 that made the colors of our national flag—red, white, and blue—official. We are a proud democracy, and we should always be a proud democracy, so that decision was the right one.

As a symbol of the unity of our country, the House of Orange currently has only symbolic value.

Why Does the Netherlands Wear Orange?

Although the Dutch are not particularly nationalistic, they do show it on Kingsday and during sporting events. Many of the national sports teams and supporters of the Netherlands wear orange.

The Dutch wear orange to symbolize their sense of unity and pride in their country. The Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau is the source of the color orange’s inspiration.

Why Do The Dutch Wear Orange On King’s Day?

In The Netherlands, King’s Day is a public holiday on which everyone wears orange.

On King’s Day, the Dutch don orange to symbolize their shared national identity. King’s Day is observed on April 27, which also happens to be King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands’ birthday.

On King’s Day, flea markets are held all over the Netherlands. As long as you wear your orange shirt, there will be plenty of concerts and festivals you might want to attend if flea markets aren’t your thing.

Why Do Dutch Soccer Fans Wear Orange?

The national and orange flags are flown proudly on entire streets when the Dutch national football team competes in a European or World Cup tournament.

On game days, Dutch football fans wear orange shirts to show their allegiance to the national team and to bring the country of the Netherlands together.

The Dutch national football teams from 2010 and 2014, who advanced to the final (2010) and semifinal (2014) of those football World Championships, remain in my heart as examples of the “Orange Feverpotential. “‘s

When Is Orange Not Appropriate In The Netherlands?

It is customary to remember those who died while defending The Netherlands on May 4. As a result, we fly our national flag at half-staff on May 4. However, since we celebrate the end of the Second World War on that day in 1945, May 5, the following day, the national flags will once more fly at half-mast.

On May 4th and May 5th, it is not deemed appropriate to wear orange.

Did William Of Orange Inspire The Dutch National Anthem?

The Wilhelmus, the national anthem of the Netherlands, is the world’s oldest song. William of Orange is referenced in the name Wilhelmus.

Marnix van Sint Aldegonde composed the Dutch national anthem in 1570 in homage to William of Orange.

William of Orange has had a significant impact on The Netherlands, as evidenced by the fact that our national anthem bears his name.

Watch this YouTube video of Andre Rieu performing our national anthem in a square completely filled with Dutchmen on King’s Day to get a sense of how our anthem affects the Dutch. You will actually sense the Dutch people’s sense of pride and unity.

What Are The Color Codes Of Dutch Orange?

If you want to dress in orange like the Dutch, make sure it’s the right kind of orange; otherwise, you’ll come off as a pretender.

The hexadecimal color code of Dutch orange is #FF9B00.
The RGB values of Dutch orange are R:255, G:155, B:0
The CMYK values of Dutch orange are C:0, M:0.39, Y:1, K:0.
The decimal value of Dutch orange is 16751360.

Even though there are occasionally orange shirts with different shades of orange, try to stick as closely as you can to the original Dutch orange.

Final Thoughts about Why Does the Netherlands Wear Orange?

It has a long history and continues to be closely associated with the Dutch Nation as the color orange. Therefore, it is essential to maintain orange as our flag’s primary hue.

Bring your Dutch orange shirt on those special days if you want to feel like you’re part of the Dutch community and catch the “Orange Fever” yourself!

Topic: Orange in Dutch – Why Does the Netherlands Wear Orange?

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