Everyone has his or her memorable event that happens by coincidence or for a reason. The memorable event becomes meaningful to people that it is long remembered in their later lives. People tend to memorize the scenes that happen rarely, and the memorable event always reminds us of certain special memories. A memorable event of mine happened when I was in the Netherlands on October third. It was surely unforgettable and at that moment it made me feel like the movie scene become real. I always have that fantasy that I can experience once in the amusement park just like the movies with neon lights everywhere and people holding huge stuffed toys in their hands winning from games. It is a festival which is held annually and it only lasts for two days. The day of October third was declared an official holiday in 1886. And this unforgettable festival also became one of the memorable events that I experienced after struggling with the school’s lectures and assignments.
The festival is known as the ‘3 October Festival’ which holds once a year in October. It takes place at the central station of Leiden. I passed by the train station almost every day because the buildings that I had lectures are close to it with only a 5-minute walk by foot. There were trucks parking along the street near the station with huge facilities and neon lights. Before knowing they were for the preparation of the festival, I saw people’s faces with smiles and excitement without knowing the reason which made me curious about the trucks and their reaction. The festival is to celebrate the liberation of Leiden on October third in 1574. It is now providing a variety of activities with vendors and it attracts local residents and foreigners from different places.
There were booths set along the main road with people unloading fluffy colorful stuffed toys in the afternoon. The scene during the day was already making me excited. Although the weather was drizzling and windy at night, people went to this festival without hesitation. The lighting and atmosphere were appealing to me, hearing people unconstrained screaming and laughing while wandering along the road. The festival was a combination of theme parks, clubs, haunted houses, and bazaars. The facilities were covered with neon lights which made Leiden temporarily look magical and fascinating. People were eager to get tokens as many as possible while playing claw machines and slot machines so that they could redeem the tokens for stuffed toys. The vendors sold churros, candies, fries, and among others with people lining up back to the corner. I have never seen this scene which made the festival extra memorable for me. At that moment, I felt everything that I saw was unreal and I would like to immerse myself in the wonderland for a while. Among these, I felt overwhelmed that the movie I saw with the scenes of the amusement park was actually in front of my face, real and magical, which allowed me to appreciate the magic of the digital world.
The 3 October festival was unforgettable and astonishing. What I saw and experienced surely made me want to go again but owing to COVID-19, it might not be able to hold it again this year. However, long the night, the dawn will break eventually. I believe that soon I can thicken and broaden this great memory and maybe this year I will be able to experience the excitement of it.
https://www.pieterskerk.com/en/agenda/calender/3-october-memorial-service/
https://www.dichtbij.nl/3060602/korte-3-oktober-feitjes-met-uitjes
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