Constitution Day in 2024

When is Constitution Day?

Constitution Day is a public holiday in Sint Maarten that is always celebrated on the second Monday in October.

History of Constitution Day

By the middle of the 19th century, the dust was settling after centuries of a scramble for colonial control in the Caribbean. Though they didn't control as much land as Britain, Spain or France, the Dutch had control of a smattering of islands in the Leeward Islands and the Leeward Antilles.

In 1954, the Dutch created the Netherlands Antilles, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisting of its Caribbean colonies.

The country was an attempt to bring together several unique cultures under one flag. Tensions between the constituent islands were never far from the surface, and in 1986 Aruba seceded. This eventually led to a series of referendums among the remaining islands to gauge how they wanted the country to proceed. 

Sint Maarten along with Curaçao voted for autonomy with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 

On October 10th 2010, the flag of the Netherlands Antilles was flown for the last time and the country ceased to be.

In July 2010, the Constitution of Sint Maarten had been unanimously adopted by the island council of Sint Maarten, and the constitution entered into force on the date of the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

Constitution Day celebrates the change in status for Sint Maarten, when it became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, making it a constitutional equal partner with Aruba, Curaçao, and the Netherlands.