THE EVER ENDURING CASE OF TULIPMANIA

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

BY: CASARINA HOCEVAR

Abbotsford Tulip Festival, April 2018. Photo courtesy of Casarina Hocevar. 

This week marks the beginning of Ottawa’s famous annual Tulip Festival. So in celebration of Spring, our Flashback Friday will delve into the history and heritage of the tulip festival.

A little history…

In 1953, Ottawa hosted its first tulip festival at the suggestion of photographer Malak Karsh (brother of Yousuf Karsh). The choice of flower was symbolic: 100,000 tulip bulbs were given to Ottawa by the Netherlands at the end of WWII, as a gesture of thanks, friendship, and peace.

Throughout the Second World War, Ottawa hosted the Dutch royal family while the Netherlands faced invasion and occupation. Princess Juliana, who was the only child (and heir) to Queen Wilhelmina, gave birth to her daughter in the Ottawa Civic Hospital, in January 1943. Part of the hospital was given temporary “extraterritorial” status in the city, thus, allowing the newborn Princess Margriet Francisca to receive Dutch citizenship. The family remained in Ottawa for four years, until the Netherlands was liberated from Nazi forces in 1945.

Shortly after, Princess Juliana arranged the 100,000 bulbs to be given to the capital as a gift, with additional bulbs being sent each year after, known as “the Tulip Legacy.”

A little more history…

While Canadian-Dutch relations provide us a foundation for understanding the origins of Ottawa’s tulip festival, the contemporary craze for tulips isn’t particularly new.

Wood engraving by Conrad Gesner, 1561. Source.

In the 16th Century, tulips were introduced to the Dutch from the Ottoman Empire. Their vibrant colours and rarity sparked great interest. This interest soon became an obsessive fascination shared widely in Dutch society by the 1630s. The desire grew so intense that tulips became a form of currency, creating a unique economic bubble which drove the price of tulip bulbs to unreasonable ranges. Unsurprisingly, the “tulipmania” bubble broke near the end of the 1630s, resulting in a market crash.

As professor Anne Goldgar notes throughout her book, Tulipmania, the legacy of tulipmania has been written and researched about extensively in articles, novels, and plays, telling us of the enduring public fascination for tulipmania. Of course, the fascination in tulipmania’s legacy is not simply in the beauty of the flowers themselves, but in the way in which the flowers influenced a society so deeply.

From 17th Century Dutch markets to the 18th Century Ottoman court, tulips once again become an icon for luxury and consumption. During what was known as the Ottoman Empire’s Tulip Period - an era of economic growth and increased material consumption - tulips appeared in prints, textiles, paintings and throughout markets and gardens. And as with the Dutch tulipmania, tulips in the Ottoman empire also saw rocketing prices for bulbs and flower orders, until state regulation was enforced on the market. Once again, tulips proved to have a captivating essence...

16th Century Ottoman textile featuring tulip design. Source.

Contemporary tulipmania…

While today’s tulipmania has not caused any recent market crashes, it certainly seems to captivate the spaces and imaginations of social media users. Social media has certainly made it easier for flower festivals and their visitors to relish in the beauty a little longer. Below are some posts made by festivals organizers and visitors worldwide.

Tulip festivals across Canada:

Ottawa, ON: May 11th - 21st

The tulip was declared the official flower of Ottawa on October 24, 2001. The history dates back to 1945, when Princess Juliana presented the gift of 100,000 tulip bulbs from the Dutch to the people of Canada. The gift represents thanks to the country for the safe haven provided for her family and to acknowledge the role of Canadian troops in liberating the Netherlands.

A post shared by Canadian Tulip Festival (@cdntulipfest) on Feb 22, 2018 at 12:10pm PST

Abbotsford, BC: April 9th - mid-May

HAPPY MONDAY // We’re getting excited for BLOOM this year! During the festival, our regular hours are 9:00am to 7:30pm (dusk), and open 7 days a week. Can’t wait to have you all in our fields! 💛🌷 // 📷: @birgitberghofer

A post shared by BLOOM Tulip Festival (@abbotsfordtulipfestival) on Mar 26, 2018 at 11:27am PDT

Tulip festivals worldwide:

Keukenhof Holland, Netherlands: March 22nd - May 13th

#ThrowbackTuesday to a blooming flower mosaic! 🌈 #Keukenhof #throwback #tb #Tuesday #travel #tulips #photography #colors #springgarden #view #Holland

A post shared by visitkeukenhof (@visitkeukenhof) on Jun 13, 2017 at 2:49am PDT

Istanbul, Turkey: April 1st - 30th

Have you ever seen a gigantic oriental carpet made of blooming tulips?🌷If not, come to Istanbul during annual #TulipFestival which takes place every April and lasts for about a month 🌿 It's a great opportunity to see the city in all its immense glory 💛❤💚💜💙. . #tulipfestival2018 #istanbultulipfestival #istanbullalefestivali #lalefestivali2018 #lalezamanı #tulipcarpet #lalehalısı #tulips #istanbulturkey #istanbulgezisi #travelhighlights #travelblogger #mytravelgram #türkstagram #gezgintürkiye #seyahatblogu #bestworldevents #восточныйковер #Стамбул #городконтрастов #тюльпаны #фестивальтюльпанов #турблог #путешествия

A post shared by Evgeniya Yüksel (@jenny_xel) on Apr 18, 2018 at 2:35am PDT

Holland, Michigan: May 5th - 13th

1939 program cover. So fun to review the rich history of #tuliptime!

A post shared by Tulip Time Festival (@tulip_time) on May 30, 2017 at 3:46pm PDT

Srinagar, Kashmir, India: March 25th - April 15th

Use #boy_ate_the_world to be featured! One of the best garden to visit in Month of April in Srinagar, Tulip Garden is located in Siraj Bagh area, covering the banks of Dal lake with a colorful carpet of flowers. With an area of around 12 hectares, it is also known as the largest tulip garden in the whole of Asia. The famous Tulip Garden in Srinagar was created in the year 2006-07 by the chief minister of the state, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad. This was done in order to boost tourism in the Kashmir valley. Flaunting hundreds of varieties of Tulips, the enchanting garden sprawls over the foothills of Zabarwan mountain ranges, overlooking the picturesque Dal Lake. #tulips #garden #srinagar #kashmir #foothill #mountains

A post shared by Boy ate the world (@boy_ate_the_world) on Mar 31, 2018 at 11:15am PDT

Tesselaar (Melbourne), Australia: October 8th - 14th

Tulips in Melbourne, a world of colour! 🌷🌼 This 📷: @kisforkani

A post shared by #girlsthatwander (@girlsthatwander) on Nov 3, 2017 at 2:36am PDT