King's Birthday

King's Birthday (Belgium)

November 15King Leopold I (1790-1865) of Belgium was named after St. Leopold, whose feast is celebrated on this day. He was the first leader of Belgium after it achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1831, and reigned until his death. Also known as Dynasty Day, or FÉte de la Dynastie, the day is a major observance particularly among Belgium's German-speaking community.
CONTACTS:
Embassy of Belgium
3330 Garfield St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-333-6900; fax: 202-338-4960
www.diplobel.org
SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, p. 191

Celebrated in: Belgium

King's Birthday (Denmark)March 11Though no longer observed, the birthday of Frederick IX of Denmark (1899-1972) was a national holiday in that country, marked by patriotic speeches and parades. Soldiers in uniform would march down the main street of Copenhagen, the capital, accompanied by military bands. This was also an occasion for singing Denmark's two national anthems, "Kong Kristian Stod Ved Hojen Mast" ("King Kristian Stood Beside the Lofty Mast") and "Der Er Et Yndigt Land" ("This Is a Lovely Land"). The words of the former were written by Johannes Ewald and translated into English by the well-known American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Frederick IX became king of Denmark in 1947 and ruled until his death in 1972. He is remembered for the encouragement he gave to the Danish resistance movement against the German occupation during World War II. In fact, from 1943-45 he was imprisoned by the Germans along with his father, Christian X.
Frederick's daughter, Margrethe, is the current queen of Denmark ( see Queen Margrethe's Birthday).
CONTACTS:
Embassy of Denmark
3200 Whitehaven St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-234-4300; fax: 202-328-1470
www.ambwashington.um.dk
SOURCES:
NatlHolWrld-1968, p. 32

Celebrated in: Denmark

King's Birthday (Lesotho)July 17Veneration for royalty is still customary for the Basotho, the majority group living in the Kingdom of Lesotho. As recently as 1993, the monarch of Lesotho, a tiny country enclosed within South Africa, had full executive power. Accordingly, the birthday of monarch King Letsie III is a momentous occasion.
Born in 1963, King Letsie is the son of King Moshoeshoe II, who became Lesotho's first monarch after the country gained full independence from Great Britain in 1966. Letsie briefly claimed rule between 1990 and 1995, the years when Moshoeshoe II was in exile. With his father's death in 1996, Letsie permanently inherited the throne, although by this stage a newly introduced constitution had demoted Lesotho's status to "living symbol of national unity," which essentially meant he no longer possessed executive or legislative powers.
Many citizens honor the king on his birthday by attending his parade, at which he appears in regal attire and is usually accompanied by his wife, Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso. In 2003, the royal family announced that in the years to come the official festivities will change location each year to ensure that more residents of the country's ten districts can enjoy greater participation in the celebration.
CONTACTS:
Royal Palace Secretariat
P.O. Box 527
Maseru Lesotho
www.lesotho.gov.ls/king
SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, p. 119

Celebrated in: Lesotho

King's Birthday (Nepal)July 8The king's birthday is a national public holiday in Nepal, celebrated with a grand parade, song and dance troupes, and fireworks in Kathmandu.
King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah took the throne on June 4, 2001, after King Birendra and seven other members of the royal family were tragically shot and killed by Crown Prince Dipendra, acting under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Dipendra also shot himself and he died three days later.
The date of this holiday changes with each king. King Birendra's birthday was December 28. The current king's birthday is July 8.
CONTACTS:
Embassy of Nepal
2131 Leroy Pl. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-667-4550; fax: 202-667-5534
www.nepalembassyusa.org

Celebrated in: Nepal

King's Birthday (Thailand)December 5This national holiday celebrates the birthday of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (b. 1927), who has been the largely symbolic chief of state since 1950. Bangkok blooms with decorations, which are especially lavish in the area of the floodlit Grand Palace. Full dress ceremonies, including a Trooping of the Colors by Thailand's elite Royal Guards, are performed at the palace.
CONTACTS:
The Golden Jubilee Network
Thailand
www.kanchanapisek.or.th/index.en.html
Thai Embassy
1024 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Ste. 401
Washington, DC 20007
202-944-3600; fax: 202-944-3611
www.thaiembdc.org
SOURCES:
NatlHolWrld-1968, p. 219
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Celebrated in: Thailand