The airline that gives away porcelain houses with gin to its Business Class passengers: the link of No. 106 with the origin of Thanksgiving

It's become an eagerly awaited ritual every year in the Netherlands . Every October 7th, the anniversary of KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), a grand celebration takes place in a Dutch city where a new miniature house made of Delft Blue porcelain is unveiled.

This is a tradition that dates back to 1952, when the company decided to give each of its international Business Class passengers a small house with Bols Dutch gin inside .

Airline customers quickly became collectors of these special miniature buildings. And since 1994, the number of each house has corresponded to KLM's anniversary year.

This year was no exception. KLM celebrated its 106th anniversary and, with the presence of authorities and officials, held a celebration in the city of Leiden unveiling a new Delft Blue livery, which World Business Class passengers have already begun to receive.

Delft Blue is a style of Dutch pottery , characterized by its blue decoration on a white background and inspired by Chinese porcelain.

This time, the collectible house is a replica of the historic Villa Rameau building, which now houses a museum located in Leiden, next to the Church of St. Peter.

Villa Rameau is home to the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum , with a little-known history that is intertwined with the first harvest festival of the Pilgrims (English Pilgrims), inspired by the liberation of Leiden from the Spanish siege achieved on October 3, 1574.

Built between 1645 and 1648, Villa Rameau was the former home of the sacristan and was connected to the Church of St. Peter (Pieterskerk) in Leiden.

It wasn't until 1916 that the Rameau family moved into this house, and Willem Rameau also served as sacristan. During World War II, the family participated in numerous resistance activities .

This year, Leiden's Pilgrims Museum moved to Villa Rameau, and is dedicated to the history of the Pilgrims, a group of English separatist pilgrims who came to the Netherlands in the early 17th century to escape religious persecution.

The Pilgrims stayed in Leiden from 1609 to 1620, for almost 12 years, until they finally traveled to the United States on the Mayflower ship in 1620 .

Therefore, it is believed that their first harvest festival was inspired by the Liberation of Leiden, which had an annual autumn thanksgiving festival called "3 Oktoberfeest" (Festival of October 3rd). This may have influenced the pilgrims who lived in Leiden.

The fact is that the first celebration on American soil was the Plymouth Banquet of 1621, which was shared by English colonists and the native Wampanoag people, to celebrate a successful harvest after a difficult first year in America.

However, Thanksgiving Day became a national celebration in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared it an official holiday.

At the same time, Thanksgiving Day is a tradition that is still celebrated every year at Pieterskerk Church.

Peter Heijkoop, Mayor of Leiden, said: “It is an honor that Villa Rameau, with its unique history and central importance in Leiden, is now part of KLM’s miniature house collection.”

He emphasized that "this house tells an important part of Leiden's history, from the Pilgrims to the resistance. We are proud that this story is being shared with the world in such a special way."

“With the unveiling of Villa Rameau as our Delft Blue No. 106, we are not only celebrating another anniversary, but also the importance of connection and resilience,” said Marjan Rintel, KLM’s President and CEO, during the reveal party for the new miniature house.

As he recalled, on October 3, 1574, Leiden was liberated from Spanish rule. Today we gather at the Pieterskerk in Leiden, next to a unique historic house that now houses the Leiden American Pilgrims Museum, and where the Rameau family lived and played a vital role in the resistance during World War II.

"Many people are unaware that the Pilgrims lived in Leiden in the houses that surround us. In 1620, some emigrated to America, and elements of the Leiden Liberation joined their first harvest festival, which eventually became the annual Thanksgiving celebration in the United States," Rintel noted.

KLM is the only airline that operates direct flights between Argentina and the Netherlands, connecting Buenos Aires and Amsterdam with 7 weekly direct flights, using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, with three cabins: World Business Class, Premium Comfort and Economy.

The average flight duration is 13 hours, and Business Class passengers and some Flying Blue and SkyTeam members have access to Crown lounges at airports.

The entire collection of porcelain houses is on display in the KLM Crown Lounge at Amsterdam Airport.