windmill sign language in Holland

In the past, in Holland, nobody had telephones, radios, TV's or internet. But there were a lot of windmills, so millers invented a sort of sign language using the blades of the windmill.

1. Joy position  : The miller has a happy event to tell the village about. Maybe the birth of a child. 

2. Funeral position: If someone from the family or a close associate of the miller has died. 

The Dutch Prince Friso passed away recently, after a skiing accident last year. He was a Patron of the "Dutch Windmill Society" and therefore windmills in Holland will have their blades in the funeral position this week until after his burial on Friday.

3. Not working position (short) : the miller is taking a day or two of and this lets people know the mill is closed.

 4. Not working position (long) : Maybe there is no work for the mill or the miller needs to be away from the mill for a time.

 5. Emergency position : There is an emergency at the mill, maybe a fire. This position would call the villagers to come and help. The mills were very important, not just for milling grain, but also for keeping the water levels correct so the land did not flood.

6. Party Mode :  A  happy event, like a wedding or a party  :~))

Not all parts of Holland used the same signs. There was a sort of dialect amoung the various provinces.