In Canada, as in all countries of the world, there are holidays, which are considered federal and provincial for certain areas. Some of them are official and red days on the calendar when everyone is resting. Residents love when Canada's national holidays fall on the weekend, and get a mini-vacation or long weekends. Some of them are assigned to a certain date, for example, New Year's Day - January 1, and some of them floating, like Easter or Good Friday, are held in the same way as in Russia.
New Year
This holiday in Canada is not as beloved as in Russia and less vain, because it takes place after Christmas, for which they carefully prepare and wait. Most often, the New Year is celebrated on the street with friends or relatives, sent to the square of the city where the concert takes place. It ends with the chiming clock, and some of the residents go home, and some can go to the rink, where you can have a good time with live music.
Canada Day Holiday
The main national day is July 1, because it was then in 1867 that the British North America Act was signed, where the three provinces merged into one and formed the state of Canada.
Governor Charles Stanley Monk urged all residents to celebrate this date, but it was not official until 1917. Until 1879, the holiday had a different name - Dominion Day, as Canada was once called.
Everything changed after the Second World War, when the government organized a special celebration, which was marked by the ceremony of the removal of the banner, and then a concert and fireworks took place.
October 27, 1982 the holiday was renamed and was named Canada Day. On July 1, events such as parades, festivals, carnivals, music concerts and fireworks are held annually. Holidays and traditions of Canada are respected by the whole population, the moment is especially solemn when the oath of a citizen for a new resident is signed on the main square of the capital. Other standards do not exist, each province is considering its own program.
Civil holiday in Canada
This is an interesting holiday that does not have any historical, revolutionary background. It was created back in the 19th century, only to not work on this day.
Even then, for the entire British Empire, the House of Commons legalized the day in early August as a bank holiday, and the famous banker, politician, as well as archaeologist and biologist John Lubbock recommended that this day be considered "prudent and satisfactory."
Today, annually, the first Monday of August is considered a Civil Holiday, although it differs in name depending on the province.
Christmas Eve
There are a lot of Catholics in Canada for whom holy holidays are important. On Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve, everyone is preparing for the main holiday, when Jesus Christ was born. On the street everyone is decorated with colorful lights, prepare gifts and buy food for dinner the next day. In the towns of Labrador and Newfoundland, they sell fish, and distribute the proceeds to the poor.
Catholic Christmas is one of the main and brightest holidays. Indeed, more than 77% of Christians live in the country, 43% of which are Catholics. Christmas trees are installed in houses, in main buildings and shops, window dressing and the entrance to the house are decorated with Christmas wreaths. This is a holiday when relatives gather at the table, whom you may not see for a year, but on this day everyone unites.
Good Friday, Easter, Easter Monday
Like Christmas, a holy holiday, Good Friday is a very important time for Canadians. This is the darkest day, depending on the church calendar, and is officially considered a day off for all of Canada, as the government considers it important to allow Catholics and Protestants to focus on the sorrow of Jesus.
Catholics traditionally go in dark clothes, blow out candles, close mirrors, and are not distracted by any business or events.
On Easter Sunday, Easter comes, a holiday for which even unbelievers prepare, thinking over how to set the table and decorate the house. The symbol is the Easter bunny, which is made in the form of a basket, and eggs and sweets are placed in it. This is a nationwide beautiful state holiday of Canada, when people not only go to visit each other and to church, but also go to fairs, bazaars where they sell delicious treats. On this day, they try to bring special joy to the children: they decorate the house together, give gifts, go to church and eat sweets. However, in Canada there are two worldviews of this holiday - some harvest such symbols as a hare and colored eggs, and others - a candle and fire.
The day after Easter, that is, Monday, is officially indicated as a day off when people bless food and consecrate their home for the next year. But really, only a few institutions do not work on this state day off, yet the rest go to work.
Quebec National Day
When the French began to settle in Canada, the religious holiday of John the Baptist came along with them, which begins on June 23 and ends only the next day. Today, this day is considered the Day of the French-Canadian culture. Quebec is one of the largest "French" cities outside of France. French is native to 80% of the population.
John the Baptist Day is the day of patriots, which arose in 1834 when one of the newspaper’s publishers, Luger Duvernet, considered that the French also needed a national holiday, which today is celebrated on a grand scale in this province.
Victoria Day
Queen Victoria was born on May 24, 1819, and this day has long been the main holiday of the British Empire. But many years passed before it was considered national and official, and only since 1901 it was celebrated everywhere on Monday before May 25. This is the day when Queen Victoria is remembered, who has done a lot for Canada, and as a sign of respect, Canadians call her the name of the city and street, and her portrait is located on a bill of 20 Canadian dollars. However, no lavish celebrations are held, and the day is simply an additional weekend.
Unusual Holidays: Tulip Festival, International Earth Day, Boxing Day
What holidays in Canada are interesting and unusual, as well as known everywhere and attracting a large number of people?
The Tulip Festival, which takes place in Ottawa in the first week of May. One of the best events of spring, when the capital is buried in flowers that are brought from Holland.
The history of this holiday in Canada is interesting because during the World War the royal family from the Netherlands was hiding here, and Queen Margriet managed to be born at that time. For official confirmation of the birth of the queen, it is necessary that this happens on the territory of the country. The government of Canada went on a trick, and the room where the baby was born was recognized as the territory of the Netherlands.
Today, the tulip festival is a gratitude of the Dutch to the country that sheltered them at one time. The festival begins with the Tulip Ball, where you can taste national dishes and drinks, and more than 5 million flowers bloom annually during the holiday.
Another celebration that can be attributed to the unusual holidays of Canada is Earth Day, which takes place on April 22. Almost every schoolchild takes an active part to remind everyone of what planet we live on and how to protect it. No wonder Canada, according to UNESCO, is one of the most favorable countries for living, and the government is fighting to ensure that plants and factories control the emission of harmful substances and install cleaning devices.
The gift festival is no less original than the tulip festival, and takes place on December 26, after Christmas. At first it was the feast of St. Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr. It was then that they began to prepare gifts and boxes of money that were intended for the poor.
Jazz festival
In June, every year for the past 30 years, the main jazz festival has been held, which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Popular artists and millions of spectators come to Montreal, and concerts are held on the banks of the Lawrence River where a variety of music plays from night to morning, starting with classical jazz and downloading indie rock. Not only on the coast, but also in the city, music plays at concert venues.
Patriotic Holidays
As mentioned earlier, Quebec is hosting a national holiday on June 24th. In addition, there are also other major holidays in Canada, which are considered patriotic.
In 1995, Prime Minister Jean Chretien declared February 15 as Flag Day. Interestingly, only in 1965 the flag in the form of a maple leaf was first raised. Previously, they considered the image of the cross of St. George, when the territory was owned by the British. Further, the flag changed when the possession passed to the French. The banner of the Orleans dynasty with lilies was used as an image.
On the third Monday of February, another civil holiday in Canada is celebrated - Heritage Day, which has received public recognition. Under the heritage refers to a combination of physical and cultural resources. This day on the calendar reminds all residents of the country that you need to know the history and be proud of where you live.
The population of Canada is a merger of two nations, the French and the British, so two anthems are officially adopted, the day of which is celebrated on June 27. First, Canadians sang the British “Oh God Save the Queen, ” then created a new anthem, “Maple Leaf Forever, ” the French Canadians proposed another song, “Oh Canada, ” which gained popularity. Only in 1980 did she receive the official status of a national anthem.
