Victoria Day

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Victoria Day

Victoria Day (French: Fête de la Reine) is a Canadian statutory holiday

Public holidays in Canada

In Canada, public holidays are legislated at the national, Provinces and territories of Canada levels. Many of these holidays are observed nationwide, but each province and territory does have its own holidays as well....
celebrated on the last Monday before or on May 24 in honour of both Queen Victoria

Victoria of the United Kingdom

Victoria was from 20 June 1837 the Queen regnant of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and from 1 May 1876 the first Empress of India of the British Raj until her death....
's birthday and the current reigning Canadian sovereign's birthday

Birthday

Birthday is the name given to the date of the anniversary of the day of a person's birth. People in many cultures celebrate this anniversary. In some languages, the word for birthday literally translates as "anniversary"....
.

birthday of the monarch was a day for celebration in Canada long before Confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federalism Dominion of Canada was formed beginning July 1, 1867 from the provinces, colony and Territory of British North America....
.

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Encyclopedia

Victoria Day (French: Fête de la Reine) is a Canadian statutory holiday

Public holidays in Canada

Victoria of the United Kingdom

Birthday

History

The birthday of the monarch was a day for celebration in Canada long before Confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federalism Dominion of Canada was formed beginning July 1, 1867 from the provinces, colony and Territory of British North America....
. On May 24, 1854, 5,000 residents of the Canada West gathered in front of Government House

Government House (Ontario)

Government House was the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario of Upper Canada and Ontario, Canada. Four buildings were used for this purpose, none of which exist today, making Ontario one of four provinces to not have an official Viceroy residence....
(near present day King

King Street (Toronto)

otheruses4|the street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada|other uses|King Street}}King Street is a major east-west commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
and Simcoe Streets, in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
) to "give cheers to their queen."

Since 1901, the date of May 24 was known throughout the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
as Empire Day; however, an amendment to the Statutes of Canada in 1952 moved the holiday to the Monday before May 25. Over the decades the official date of the reigning sovereign's birthday changed through various royal proclamations: for Edward VII

Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Edward VII was Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910....
it continued on May 24, but was June 3 for George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
, June 23 for Edward VIII

Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

Edward VIII was Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the dominion, and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936, following the death of his father, George V of the United Kingdom, until his abdication on 11 December 1936....
(their actual birthdays), and various days between May 20 and June 14 through George VI

George VI of the United Kingdom

George VI was British monarchy and the United Kingdom Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India and the last King of Ireland , and the first Head of the Commonwealth....
's reign as King of Canada

Style of the Canadian sovereign

The title and style of the Canadian sovereign is the formal mode of address of the Monarchy of Canada. Both have varied over the years, changing with Canada's gradual independence from the United Kingdom, the present Style dating from the early 17th century and the Title#Titles for heads of state established in 1953....
. From 1953, Empire Day was made the date of Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday in Canada by annual vice-regal proclamation, the link being made permanent in 1957. In 1958 Empire Day was renamed Commonwealth Day

Commonwealth Day

Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March, and marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Head of the Commonwealth, with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth High Commissioners in London....
, which was moved in 1977 to the second Monday in March, though Canadians continued to celebrate Victoria Day in May.

The reigning Canadian monarch has been in Canada for his or her official birthday twice: the first time being on May 20, 1939, when King George VI

George VI of the United Kingdom

Trooping the Colour

Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony performed by regiments of the Commonwealth of Nations and the British Army. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments for centuries and it was first performed during the reign of Charles II of England....
ceremony on Parliament Hill. The second time was when Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
was in Canada from May 17 to May 25, 2005, to mark the centennials of the entries of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 588,276.09 square kilometres and a population of 1,015,895 , mostly living in the southern half of the province....
and Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
into Confederation

Confederation

Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense , foreign affairs, or a common currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all members....
; no events were organized to acknowledge this fact.

Celebrations

Several Canadian cities hold a parade

Parade

A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float or sometimes large balloons....
in honour of the holiday, with the most famous being in the monarch's namesake city of Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy....
. This holiday is also often celebrated with fireworks

Fireworks

A firework is classified as a low explosive material pyrotechnics device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display....
shows.

In Canada, Victoria Day unofficially marks the end of the "winter season" and, thus, the beginning of "Summer". Banff's Sunshine Village

Sunshine Village

Sunshine Village is a major North American ski resort, located within the protected wilderness of Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.Famous for Canada's best snow, light dry Rocky Mountain "Champagne Powder"....
, renowned for its lengthy ski season, unofficially ends Winter with the Slush Cup, an event that is held annually on Victoria Day. Likewise, it is during this May long weekend when many summer businesses, such as parks, and other businesses that operate only during the warm weather months, will open. This long weekend also signifies the beginning of spring to gardeners throughout much of the country, as it falls around the time when they can be fairly certain frost

Frost

Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from Saturation air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air....
will not return until the next autumn or winter. For much the same reason, because colder parts of the country winterize their recreational cabins and turn off water pumps, this weekend can also mark the beginning of the cottage season with cottagers making their first visits to check, repair and clean their recreational properties.

In some parts of Canada, the holiday is colloquially known as May Two-Four. This phrase has two meanings: the holiday always falls near the date of May 24, and a two-four is Canadian slang for a case of 24 bottles of beer

Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
, a common packaging of the drink

Canadian beer

Canada has a rich tradition of beer brewing. While the Canadian beer industry is massive and plays an important role in Canadian identity, globalization of the brewing industry has seen the major players in Canada acquired by or merged with foreign companies, notably its three largest beer producers, Labatt, Molson and Sleeman....
in Canada.

Provincially

In many parts of Canada, the Victoria Day long weekend is known as the May Long Weekend. In Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and some other parts of Canada, this holiday weekend is also known as May Long, May Run (mainly in Timmins, Ontario

Timmins, Ontario

Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,455....
, and some other regional communities of Northeastern Ontario), or May Two-Four, as per above.

Though, as a federal holiday Victoria Day remains a holiday in Quebec, in 2003 the National Assembly of Quebec

National Assembly of Quebec

The National Assembly of Quebec is the name for the legislative body of the province of Quebec, Canada. The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other Westminster System....
passed legislation that dedicated the same day as Journée nationale des patriotes (National Patriots Day), which commemorates the patriotes of the Lower Canada Rebellion

Lower Canada Rebellion

The Lower Canada Rebellion is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the United Kingdom colonial power of that province....
of 1837. Before 2003, the holiday was referred to as la Fête de Dollard, after Adam Dollard des Ormeaux

Adam Dollard des Ormeaux

File:Statue Dollard des Ormeaux, parc Lafontaine, Montr?al 2005-08-29.jpgAdam Dollard des Ormeaux, , usually known simply as Dollard des Ormeaux, was a colonist and soldier of New France....
.

Victoria Day

History

Celebrations

Provincially

See also

External links