King's Day is a celebration of the king and the royal family! People wear orange and little kids sell toys, play musical instruments and come up with games that everyone can play on the street.
During King's Day, children wake up at the crack of dawn to find a spot on the street in the city center to set up whatever they are going to sell. Some kids sell their toys, others sell clothes, some play musical instruments and sing and others even sell compliments! It is a fun time for kids to show off their talents and have fun. Everyone also wears orange to commemorate William of Orange, who founded the Netherlands and the current royals who are his ancestors. A lot of people also like to have a treat called tompoes, which has two hard cake pieces on the top and bottom, and a cream in the middle. All the bakeries have it, and the icing is, of course, orange!
This tradition began because William of Orange founded the Netherlands by breaking away from the Habsburg kingdom in order to create a land of more tolerance. So, the tradition of celebrating the ancestors of William of Orange began! Since then, whenever the king or queen's birthday comes around, the whole country celebrates with treats, games, parties and lots of oranges.
