3 October is not a normal day here. It is a holiday exclusively in Leiden. Since the weekend, the city has been flooded with people celebrating Leiden's "Ontzet" 1574. Back in the days of the Eighty Years' War, which the Dutch fought for their independence, the city of Leiden was besieged by the Spanish. There was a great famine and the people were desperate. Finally, on 3 October, the city was liberated by the cunning rebel leader William the Silent by flooding the surrounding countryside. Since 1886, the liberation of Leiden has been celebrated with a great festival. The city centre is filled with numerous attractions, food stalls and stands. Many people wear the city colours red and white, as well as Leiden's coat of arms, a pair of keys. Traditionally, you can eat "haring en wittebrood", herring with white bread, as according to legend this was the food William brought for the starving people of Leiden.
After visiting the Museum de Lakenhal (Leidens' art history museum, where paintings by famous Dutch artists such as Rembrandt and Jan Lievens are exhibited, among others), I walked through the carnival and ate poffertjes with Nutella.
For more information, see https://3october.nl/.
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