1818: Freemasons

Freemasons

One striking segment of the population that made itself known by means of almanacs were the Freemasons. Dutch Freemasonry dates back to the early eighteenth century and for a long time was shrouded in mystery, partly due to the oath of secrecy required of each prospective member before being admitted to the group. Despite the guidelines concerning morality and friendship, outsiders suspected the Freemasons of libertine behaviour and sodomy. Each year beginning in 1751, the Freemasons of the Netherlands provided information about their order by means of various almanacs. The brotherhood of the Freemasons was divided into dozens of lodges across the entire country, and its structure consisted of numerous ranks. The most important person was the Grand Master, assisted by the Grand Officers, Grand Inspectors, a Grand Master of Ceremonies, a Grand Steward and so on.

Symbols

According to the Freemasons, their brotherhood goes back to the building of the Temple of Solomon. From this they derived the symbols that played a significant role in their rituals. The title engraving of the Nederlandsche vrijmetselaars almanak [Dutch Freemasons' Almanac] contains several of those symbols, such as the tools of the architect and builder, and the two pillars. These represented wisdom, in this case as related to heaven and earth, considering the two globes atop the pillars.

Calendar

Freemasons had their own calendar. It began with the first day of creation and ran 4,000 years ahead of the ordinary calendar. For the Freemasons, the year 1818 was actually the year 5818. The abbreviation p.s. after the year stands for 'profane style' (everything that was not part of Freemasonry was called profane). For their own system of counting the years they used the abbreviation W.L. (Ware Licht, or True Light) or A.L. (Anno Lucis). The Freemason New Year began on 1 March rather than 1 January, as in the old calendars.

Royalty

The Nederlandsche vrijmetselaars almanak for 1818 shows the strong connection between Freemasonry and the House of Orange Nassau. Prince Frederik, the youngest son of King Willem I, was the National Grand Master. His birthday is eulogized in two poems. The almanac also includes an ode to the king, to be sung to the melody of the Wilhelmus (the Dutch national anthem), and a celebration of the birth of a son of the crown prince. Finally, crown princes Anna Paulowna is praised in two poems. As far as factual information is concerned, the almanac contains lists of existing and former lodges in the Netherlands as well as places where meetings are held. Some rather grandiloquent songs are also included, and the almanac closes with anecdotes about former state and church leaders such as the French King Henry IV, Pope Sixtus V and the Chinese Emperor Kamhi.