The Netherlands celebrates its Queen’s Day, today, Monday, April 30, 2012. Locally known as Koninginnedag, Queen’s Day is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the Netherlands. Although Queen Beatrix was actually born on January 21, the holiday is observed on April 30, the birthday of her mother and predecessor, Queen Juliana, when the weather is more suitable for outdoor activities.

Festivities in the country are very lively, especially in the country’s capital, Amsterdam, where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and the canals for a grand celebration.

People usually dress in orange for Queen's Day, sometimes called “orange craze,” a reference to the colors of the House of Orange-Nassau.

Queen Beatrix is one of the most respected and loved monarchs in the world.

Attached are 9 photos and 1 video I shot today (Queens' Day) in Amsterdam

Photos and video by Lulis Leal
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
April 30, 2012