Orange tulips honour Canadian soldiers, Netherlands’ liberation
Charlottetown has joined municipalities across the country in planting Liberation 75 tulips to commemorate the role Canada played in the Second World War and, specifically, in the liberation of the Netherlands.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. In the final months of the Second World War, Canadian forces were given the important and deadly task of liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. Canadian soldiers battled in Europe, leading to the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945.
At the time, Dutch Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada to express her nation’s gratitude.
The Netherlands has presented Canada with 20,000 tulip bulbs every year since then, inspiring the first Canadian Tulip Festival in 1953.
This year, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands continued the tradition and presented a gift of tulip bulbs to Canada.
To commemorate and celebrate the 75th anniversary, the Canadian Tulip Festival, in consultation with the National Capital Commission and Dutch Embassy, created the Liberation 75 campaign with the goal of seeing 1.1 million tulips planted across the country to honour the 1.1 million Canadians who served during the Second World War.
The embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands purchased 100,000 Liberation 75 tulip bulbs and distributed them to 1,100 schools in Canada.
Bulbs were also provided to the lieutenant-governors in each province and territory. The Canadian Capital Cities Organization partnered with the Canadian Tulip Festival to gift 1,500 tulip bulbs to each capital city. Now these orange tulips are popping up in flower beds around City Hall in Charlottetown.
Money raised from the Liberation 75 tulip project is being donated to the Royal Canadian Legion.
To learn more about the Liberation 75 tulip project, visit Liberation75.ca.