Flag instruction Memorial Day and Liberation Day.
On Monday, May 4, we commemorate our war victims, and on Tuesday, May 5, we celebrate Liberation Day. On those days, many people fly the flag. If you do so according to the rules, you are flying the flag in accordance with protocol, which places respect for the national tricolor first and foremost.
Monday, May 4: at half-mast
On May 4, we fly the flag at half-mast in the Netherlands as a sign of reverence and respect for the victims of war. The National Committee for May 4 and 5 calls on all residents to fly the flag at half-mast all day on May 4 (from sunrise to sunset). The flag will also be flown at half-mast all day on our municipal buildings. The flag used is the Dutch tricolor without a pennant.
Tuesday, May 5: flag at the top
On May 5, the national flag may be flown from sunrise to sunset.
No pennant on May 4 and 5
This may be unnecessary to mention, but no orange pennant will be flown on May 4 and 5. The Dutch flag is flown with a pennant only on King’s Day and on the birthdays of the Princess of Orange, Queen Máxima, and Princess Beatrix. On all other occasions, the flag is flown without an orange pennant.
Would you like to leave the flag up overnight? If so, it is customary to illuminate the flag so that its colors are clearly visible. The flag may also be displayed alongside the municipal flag, the provincial flag, or the flags of other countries that played a role in the liberation.