contains the 1381 burials of which 1355 are Canadian. Killed in the last months of the war, almost every unit in 1st Canadian Army is represented here – sad testimony to the bitter fighting even in the war’s final months. The people of Holten remember. Major ceremonies are held at the cemetery on our Remembrance Day in November, on Dutch Liberation Day on 4 May and perhaps most poignant of all, on Christmas Eve. It is this latter commemoration that shows how remembrance comes from the heart. Every Christmas Eve since 1991, when the tradition began, local school children come to Holten Cemetery to remember the Canadians laid to rest here in 1945. Born long after the war, these are children of Canada’s sacrifice and they are taught the meaning of remembrance. About 300 children participate in the ceremony that begins at dusk. The children go among the graves and place a lit candle at the base of each headstone. With snow on the ground and the dark surrounding forest, the cemetery is illuminated by the glow of 1381 candles. This beautiful and touching vigil lasts until midnight. This special tribute parallels the long-established Dutch tradition in the spring when children place flowers on all the graves throughout the country. The Dutch truly remember. In a country where most of its citizens were born long after the war, they make a determined effort to remember well. I doubt they will ever forgo their meaningful traditions of remembrance that purposely involve their children in favour of longer hours to shop or sleep in.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==