The Huguenot Competition 300
In 1685 under Louis XIV, the Edict of Nantes, that supplied a evaluate of safety and spiritual freedom to the French Protestants, was revoked. They have been subsequently persecuted by the Catholic Church and the govt of France, even as galley slaves, guillotined or burnt at the stake. The only option of the Huguenots was to flee as refugees to neighbouring nations. Some 200,000 or extra fled to nations these types of as Switzerland, England, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and even as much as The united states and South Africa.
At that time Simon van der Stel was governor of the Dutch East India Company’s (VOC’s) refreshment station at the Cape of Very good Hope in South Africa, on the trade route to the east. He asked for that the ‘In this article XVII‘ send out suited farmer colonists to the Cape to complement the harvest of the Vryburger farmers (ie. not VOC personnel).
On 31 December, in the winter season of 1687, the flute ship ‘Voorschoten‘ remaining Delftshaven, Netherlands, (aspect of Rotterdam) with 22 Huguenot refugees on board – two died throughout the passage. The a few master was supposed to sail immediately to the Cape. Nonetheless, as final result of storm injury captain Frans Villierius was pressured to land at Saldanha Bay on 13 April 1688, about 120 km from the present-day Cape Town. A concept was despatched by Hottentot to the Cape. The cutter Jupiter was dispatched to fetch them. A additional 6 ships (the Oosterland, Borssenburg, Schelde, Berg China, Zuid-Beveland and ‘t Wapen van Alkmaar) introduced Huguenots to the Cape. In all, the Huguenots amounted to some 15% of the colonists in the Cape. They introduced with them their faith and determination. They also made fairly a contribution to viticulture. Their influence can also be seen in the double adverse, inherited from the French ‘ne pas’, in the afterwards enhancement of the Afrikaans language.
In 1988 the 300 12 months centenary Huguenot competition commemorated their primary arrival in South Africa. The festivities started off with the simulated landing on April 8th of the ‘Voorschoten‘-Huguenots (actors in time period-gown) in Saldanha. A print of a sermon of the Huguenot pastor, Pierre Simond, survived the passage of time and was included in the Sunday support on April 10th. On April 13th a replica of the Jupiter arrived in Cape Town with the Huguenot-celebration to be welcomed by kommandeur Van der Stel and his councilors, all in period-costume. There were being orchestras and troupes, drum majorettes and road performs, horse guards and heralds, tableaux and fly pasts.
In a restored calash and many duplicate ‘boerewagen‘ the Huguenot-get together travelled to Stellenbosch, stopping off at Goodwood, Parow, Bellville and Kuilsrivier on the way. The amphitheatre of the Afrikaans Language Monument was the location for the formal opening of the pageant by president Botha on April 14th. The Huguenot-celebration visited Wellington and Simondium alongside the way to Franschhoek. The principal festivities on April 15th to 17th integrated float parades, reveals and live shows culminating a memorial assistance at the Huguenot Monument.
