Dutch festivities such as Queens Day and flower parades could now be given official protection because the Netherlands has signed up to the Unesco treaty which focuses on protecting traditions.

The Unesco treaty on intangible heritage aims to preserve cultural diversity. Intangible heritage ‘includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts’.
The Netherlands must now draw up an inventory of its cultural heritage and can nominate traditions for inclusion on an official list.
The Dutch centre for folk culture and intangible heritage VIE will coordinate the efforts.
Culture minister Halbe Zijlstra kicked off the campaign during the annual Bloemencorso flower parade in Zundert which is exactly the sort of tradition which the Netherlands would like to preserve, according to a culture ministry statement.
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What Dutch traditions would you nominate? Have your say using the comment box below.