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Carnival flags (The Netherlands)

Last modified: 2014-06-28 by andrew weeks
Keywords: carnival |
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Carnivalflags

I am a British ex-pat, working in Maastricht, and living in Utrecht. As I spend so much time in Maastricht, I can't help noticing all the red/yellow/green flags at this time of year. Also, Den Bosch (in the station anyway) has red/white/yellow flags.
Is this a common thing at Carnival time? Are these flags listed anywhere? Why the colours chosen?
Kevin Garrad, 14 Feb 2006

During carnival Maastricht has another mayor (Prince Carnival) and another flag, which consists of course of the colors of the carnival festivities: red, yellow and green. These colors return in the costumes of the "zaate herremeniekes" (small bands of carnival-musicians, mostly not walking in a straight line) and other participants in the fun.
The village (sic!) of Oeteldonk (= the name of 's-Hertogenbosch in carnival-times) has its own arms and flag, in the colors red-white-yellow".
Stefan Lambrechts, 16 Feb 2006

The carnival-colors of Eindhoven are orange/blue/orange.
Jan Melssen, 16 Feb 2006

Carnival is, and will stay, a local festivity, only established from the old use to eat and drink (!) and dance a lot on the eve of 40-days Lent (Fast).
Nowadays it has grown to a rang of festivities of 14 or more days (and nights!) until the Wednesday of Lent, when everything is over. There are a few more Dutch towns which have Carnival flags. Some have a great past of Carnival festivities and their flags are firmly established: for example 's-Hertogenbosch (Bois-le-Duc, Herzogenbusch) alias Oeteldonk. An other old town with Carnivalfestivities is Bergen op Zoom, alias Krabbengat. There is a local Carnival flag: white, whith red borders at the top and at the bottom, and a green stripe at the fly. In the centre a great round emblem.
An other, younger town is Roosendaal (east of Bergen op Zoom). They have a diagonally parted flag of white and red with a rather wasted form of the official coat of the Roosendaal arms in the centre. This was also introduced last year. There is also an unofficially Carnival flag you see there quite often. It consists of 4 or more red, white dotted handkerchiefs, with borders of diverse patterns of red, white and black. Because there is no central institute to regulate Carnival, these flags have no tradition and are unofficial.
Willem van Ham, 17 Feb 2006

During carnival the Limburg flag-colors are red, yellow and green, see for instance the carnival-flag of Weert.
Mark Sensen, 21 Feb 2006