Thursday, June 12, 2008

EK-razy

Warning: there is going to be lots of orange in this post.


We're in the throws of the European Championship (EK, for Dutch locals), which means that everyone and everything has gone orange. Everything.




Orange flags, posters, promotions at every turn in every shop... they have a term for occassions such as this: Oranjegekte. Some buildings paint their entrances orange, and streets compete for the most orange decorations. This is not a drill; this is nation puts the fanatic into fan.




My personal favourite is the brul shirt that can be purchased at Blokker stores nationwide (click on the advert link in the website for the full affect). It's orange, obviously, and has a giant face of a lion on the front. But the shirt is deceptive... underneath the lion is another layer of material, when flipped open it becomes the lion's mouth.


Awesome. I really have to get me one of those shirts.


Mills has got his heart set on a Trom-Pet from Heineken. It's a drumming hat. See video link. I stand firm in my objection.


Oranje's recent trouncing of Italy has only upped the excitement. Bring on the NL-French game tomorrow... I can't wait to hear the trom-pet's drumming through the streets. Again.

I heard that the last time Oranje won the EK, there was a massive street party - with cheers erupting everytime the traffic lights changed to... orange. I can believe it.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't think it could get much more orange than Queen's Day, but then I remembered how nuts the Dutch are about football! You guys are going to have over a months worth of Queen's Days - you lucky buggers!

And pleeeeeeeeeeease get one of those lion shirts!

Anonymous said...

Oranjegekte - that's just so descriptive, luv it! My husband is Dutch and he comes out with some whoppers. 'Beesbal' is one of his regulars for random idiots of the male gender. Some things just don't sound the same in the Queen's English.