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| Holiday |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
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| New Years Day |
January 1(Sat.) |
January 1 (Sun.) |
January 1 (Mon.) |
January 1 (Tue.) |
| Good Friday |
March 25 |
April 14 |
April 6 |
Mar 21 |
| Easter Sunday |
March 27 |
April 16 |
April 8 |
March 23 |
| Mothers Day |
May 8 |
May 14 |
May 13 |
May 11 |
| Victoria Day |
May 23 |
May 22 |
May 21 |
May 19 |
| Father's Day |
June 19 |
June 18 |
June 17 |
June 15 |
| Canada Day |
July 1(Fri.) |
July 1(Sat.) |
July 1(Sun.) |
July 1(Tue.) |
| Civic Holiday |
Aug 1 |
Aug 7 |
Aug 6 |
Aug 4 |
| Labour Day |
Sept. 5 |
Sept. 4 |
Sept. 3 |
Sept.1 |
| Thanksgiving |
Oct.10 |
Oct.9 |
Oct.8 |
Oct. 13 |
| Remembrance |
Nov.11 (Fri.) |
Nov.11 (Sat.) |
Nov.11 (Sun.) |
Nov.11(Tue.) |
| Christmas |
Dec.25 (Sun.) |
Dec.25 (Mon.) |
Dec.25 (Tue.) |
Dec.25 (Thurs.) |
| Boxing Day |
Dec.26 (Mon.) |
Dec.26 (Tue.) |
Dec.26 (Wed.) |
Dec.26 (Fri.) |
Good fiday anniversary of Jesus' death on the cross. According to the Gospels, Jesus was put to death on the Friday before Easter Day. Since the early church Good Friday has been observed by fasting and penance. In the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican traditions, the celebration of the Eucharist is suspended; liturgical service involves veneration of the cross, the Passion narrative from the Gospel of St. John, and communion using bread and wine consecrated the previous day, Maundy Thursday. Other forms of observance include prayer and meditation at the Stations of the Cross, a succession of 14 images, usually on wooden crosses, depicting Christ's crucifixion and the events leading up to it.
Mother's Day is always the second Sunday in May.
Mother's Day is set aside to acknowledge, show appreciation for and honor your "mom" (and other moms in your life).
Anna M. Jarvis, born in 1864 in Webster, West Virginia (U.S.), is credited as the force behind the official Mother's Day observance. When Jarvis was 41, her mother died. On the second anniversary of her mother's death (the second Sunday in May 1908), Jarvis made public her plans to establish a day to honor mothers. The observance became official in 1914
Victoria Day
In Canada, the celebration of Victoria Day occurs every year on Monday, prior to May 25th. It is the official celebration in Canada of the birthdays of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria Day was established as a holiday in Canada West (Now Ontario) in 1845, and became a national holiday in 1901. Before Victoria Day became a national Holiday, people had celebrated Empire Day , beginning in the 1890s as Victoria approached her Diamond jubilee in 1897.
Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India was born on 24 May 1819. She ascended the throne after the death of her uncle George IV in 1837 when she was only 18. She ruled until her death in 1901 when her son Edward the VII became king of England.
Canada Day
On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her Majesty's loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1st.
The July 1 holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day.
There is no record of organized ceremonies after this first anniversary, except for the 50th anniversary of Confederation in 1917, at which time the new Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings, under construction, was dedicated as a memorial to the Fathers of Confederation and to the valour of Canadians fighting in the First World War in Europe.
The next celebration was held in 1927 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation. It was highlighted by the laying of the cornerstone by the Governor General of the Confederation Building on Wellington Street and the inauguration of the Carillon in the Peace Tower.
Since 1958, the government has arranged for an annual observance of Canada's national day with the Secretary of State of Canada in charge of the coordination. The format provided for a Trooping the Colours ceremony on the lawn of Parliament Hill in the afternoon, a sunset ceremony in the evening followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display.
Another highlight was Canada's Centennial in 1967 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the celebrations with Parliament Hill again being the backdrop for a large scale official ceremony.
The format changed in 1968 with the addition of multicultural and professional concerts held on Parliament Hill including a nationally televised show. Up until 1975, the focus of the celebrations, under the name "Festival Canada", was held in the National Capital Region during the whole month of July and involved numerous cultural, artistic and sport activities, as well as municipalities and voluntary organizations. The celebration was cancelled in 1976 but was reactivated in 1977.
A new formula was developed in 1980 whereby the National Committee (the federal government organization charged with planning Canada's Birthday celebrations) stressed and sponsored the development of local celebrations all across Canada. "Seed money" was distributed to promote popular and amateur activities organized by volunteer groups in hundreds of local communities. The same approach was also followed for the 1981 celebrations with the addition of fireworks displays in 15 major cities across the nation.
On October 27, 1982, July 1st which was known as "Dominion Day" became "Canada Day".
Since 1985, Canada Day Committees are established in each province and territory to plan, organize and coordinate the Canada Day celebrations locally. Grants are provided by the Department to those committees.
Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September. It is a statutory holiday throughout Canada.
The Canadian labour movement can justly claim the title of originator of Labour Day. Peter J. McGuire, one of the founders of the American Federation of Labour has traditionally been known as the 'Father of Labour Day'. Historical evidence indicates that McGuire obtained his idea for the establishment of an annual demonstration and public holiday from the Canadian trade unionist.
Earliest records show that the Toronto Trades Assembly, perhaps the original central labour body in Canada, organized the first North American 'workingman's demonstration' of any significance for April 15,1872. The beribboned parade marched smartly in martial tread accompanied by four bands. About 10,000 Torontonians turned out to see the parade and listen to the speeches calling for abolition of the law which decreed that trade unions were criminal conspiracies in restraint of trade.
The freedom of 24 imprisoned leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union, on strike to secure the nine-hour working day, was the immediate purpose of the parade, on what was then Thanksgiving Day. It was still a crime to be a member of a union in Canada although the law of criminal conspiracy in restraint of trade had been repealed by the United Kingdom parliament in 1871.
Toronto was not the only city to witness a labour parade in 1872. On September 3, members of seven unions in Ottawa organized a parade more than a mile long, headed by the Garrison Artillery band and flanked by city fireman carrying torches.
The Ottawa parade wound its way to the home of Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald where the marchers hoisted him into a carriage and drew him to Ottawa City Hall by torchlight. 'The Old Chieftain', aware of the discontent of workers with the laws which made unions illegal, in a ringing declaration from the steps of the City Hall, promised the marchers that his party would 'sweep away all such barbarous laws from the statute books'.
The offending conspiracy laws were repealed by the Canadian government in 1872. The tradition established by the Toronto Trades Assembly was continued through the seventies and into the early 1880's.
In 1882, the Toronto Trades and Labour Council, successor to the TTA, decided to organize the annual demonstration and picnic for July 22. The council sent an invitation to Peter J. McGuire of New York requesting his services of as a speaker for the occasion. McGuire was the founder and general secretary of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters which had organized the previous year.
It was in the same year, that McGuire proposed at a meeting of the New York Central Labour Union that a festive day be set aside for a demonstration and picnic. Labour Day was first celebrated in New York on September 5,1882. It is apparent, however, that the custom had developed in Canada and the invitation sent to McGuire prompted his suggestion to the New York labour body.
Soon pressure for legislation to declare a national holiday for Labour Day was exerted in both Canada and the United States. In 1894 the government of Sir John Thompson enacted such legislation on July 23, with the Prime Minister piloting the bill through Parliament against the opposition of some of his Conservative followers.
Canadian trade unionists have celebrated this day set aside to honor those who labour' from the 1870's on. The first Labour Day parade in Winnipeg, in 1894, was two miles long.
There can be little doubt that the annual demonstrations of worker's solidarity each Labour Day in North America owe their inspiration to small group of 'illegal' members of the Toronto Trades Assembly.
Remembrance Day
is observed on November 11th. It is a statutory holiday throughout all of Canada except Ontario and Québec.
We must remember. If we do not, the sacrifice of those one
hundred thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They died
for us, for their homes and families and friends, for a
collection of traditions they cherished and a future they
believed in; they died for Canada. The meaning of their
sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness;
our future is their monument.
~Heather Robertson, A Terrible Beauty, The Art of Canada at War, Toronto, Lorimer, 1977
Remembrance Day commemorates Canadians who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
The first Remembrance Day was conducted in 1919 throughout the Commonwealth. Originally called Armistice Day, it commemorated the end of the First World War, "the War to end all Wars", on Monday, November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.: the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
From 1923 to 1931, Armistice Day was held on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. Thanksgiving was also celebrated on this day. In 1931, M.P. Allan Neill introduced a bill to hold Armistice Day on a fixed day - November 11. During the bill's introduction, it was decided the word "Remembrance" would be used instead of "Armistice". The bill passed and Remembrance Day was conducted on November 11, 1931. Thanksgiving Day was moved to October 12 that year.
In the USA, Remembrance Day is known as Veterans Day. The dead of World War II and Korea, and of all other wars are also remembered on this day. In Britain, Canada and much of the Commonwealth, and in France, Belgium and other parts of Europe, it is observed with a two minutes silence.
The poppy is the symbol that individuals use to show that they remember those who were killed in the wars and peace keeping operations that Canada has been involved in. Replica poppies are sold by the Royal Canadian Legion to raise money for needy veterans.
The tradition of wearing poppies in honor of Canada's war dead takes its origin from the poem "In Flanders Fields," written in 1915 by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. John McCrae was a Canadian Medical Officer during the First World War. His poem reflects his first hand account of what he witnessed while working from a dressing station on the bank of the Yser Canal.
In Flanders Fields
written in 1915 by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Flanders, in north-west Belgium, was the scene of one of the
bloodiest battles of the World War I. One of the few things
said to have survived the bloodshed was the poppy.
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrea, a Canadian doctor serving on
the battlefield, wrote this poem after treating the battle
wounded and burying the dead.
Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October. It is a statutory holiday throughout all of Canada except the Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island).
Before the first Europeans arrived in North America, the farmers in Europe would hold celebrations at harvest time. To give thanks for their good fortune and the abundance of food, the farm workers filled a curved goat's horn with fruit and grain. This symbol was called a cornucopia or "horn of plenty". When they came to Canada they brought this tradition with them.
The first North American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1578 when the English Navigator, Martin Frobisher, held a formal ceremony in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving his long sea journey. Other settlers arrived after him and continued these ceremonies.
During the American Revolution, Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada where they brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are many similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and the pumpkin pie.
The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada after Confederation was observed on April 15, 1872, to celebrate the recovery of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness. In 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a national holiday of Thanksgiving.
Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day. Finally, on January 31st, 1957, Parliament declared the second Monday in October of each year to be "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed".
Most families in Canada celebrate Thanksgiving with a special dinner for family and friends. The dinner usually includes a roasted turkey and pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to look at pioneer life, and it is an ideal time to celebrate the importance of Canadian farmers for all Canadians.
Valentine's Day (named after an early Christian martyr) is observed every February 14.
A tradition dating back to the third century, the holiday is now celebrated by showing love, affection and appreciation for others with gifts (usually candy or flowers) or cards.
According to Roman legend, during the third century a Christian man known as Valentinus was imprisoned for his Christian beliefs and sentenced to death. While jailed, it is said that Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. The night before he died, Valentinus wrote a farewell note to the girl, which he signed, "From Your Valentine." His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 269 A.D.
Around 498 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine's Day to honor the martyr Valentinus.
Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26th. It is a statutory holiday in the federal jurisdiction and in Ontario. If it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the working day immediately preceding or following Boxing Day is considered a legal holiday.
Boxing Day, also known as the Feast of St. Stephen (after the first Christian martyr), originated in England in the middle of the nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts, usually given in boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing Day".
Also related to the origin of Boxing Day is the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents of these boxes were distributed amongst the poor, by the clergy, the day after Christmas.
Today, Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. It is a time for family and friends to gather with lots of food and fun. Outdoor sports such as soccer, horse racing and hunting are popular on this holiday. Retailers offer huge savings on many items on this day, making it the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada.
Throughout the Christmas season, many organizations keep the original tradition of Boxing Day alive by donating their time, energy, and money to fill the Food Bank and provide gifts for the poor.
Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25th. It is a statutory holiday throughout Canada. If it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the working day immediately preceding or following Christmas is considered a legal holiday.
Christmas is one of the main religious festivals celebrated in Canada. Christmas traditions include decorating houses and yards with lights, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards.
Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In the third century, efforts were made to find out the date of the Nativity, but only in the year 336 was the date of the December 25 festival set in commemoration of Jesus' birth. Pope Julius formally selected December 25 as the day of Christmas in 349 A.D. Roman Catholics, Lutherans, members of the Dutch Reformed and Anglican churches, and those of the German sects were most responsible for establishing Christmas traditions in Canada.
In Canada, Christmas traditions have come from many countries. The Christmas Tree is a German tradition, started as early as 700 A.D. In the 1800s the tradition of a Christmas tree was widespread in Germany, then moved to England and eventually into Canada. The Nativity and many old carols can be traced to France. Greeting cards can be traced to England, and the ancient Gaelic custom of putting lights in windows originated in Ireland. The traditional Santa Claus can be traced to the United States.
Santa Claus started with a real person, Saint Nicholas, a minor saint from the fourth century. Nicholas' reputation for generosity and kindness gave rise to legends of miracles he performed for the poor and unhappy. In the Middle Ages, devotion to Nicholas extended to all parts of Europe, but eventually faded in all the Protestant countries of Europe except Holland, where his legend persisted as Sinterklaas (a Dutch variant of the name Saint Nicholas). Dutch colonists took this tradition with them to New Amsterdam (now New York City) in the American colonies in the 17th century. Sinterklaas was adopted by the country's English-speaking majority under the name Santa Claus, and his legend of a kindly old man was united with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents.
The Birth of Christ
Luke 2:1-20 - King James Version
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be
taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was
governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into
his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with
child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were
accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there
was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory
of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward
men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them
into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now
go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the
babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying
which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were
told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her
heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for
all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was
told unto them.
Earth Day
Celebrated every April 22, Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide.
More than 6 million Canadians join 500 million people in over 180 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues. Nearly every school child in Canada takes part in an Earth Day activity.
Earth Day is celebrated in many countries on the Vernal Equinox (March 20th or 21st) which marks the moment that Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. In Canada, the United States and several other countries, Earth Day is primarily celebrated on April 22nd of each year.
The concept of Earth Day began in the spring of 1970. Exactly how and when it was conceived, as well as who was responsible for its origination, is still debated.
Father's Day is always the third Sunday in June.
Father's Day honors the role of dads and men who serve in father-like roles in the lives of others.
Fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, fathers-to-be all have a day to stand in the spotlight on Father's Day. As "non-traditional" family structures become more common, any nurturing man – "big brothers," brothers-in-law, uncles, neighbors and others who are "like a father" – is likely to be honored on Father's Day.
Father's Day originated in the United States in 1909 when a woman named Sonora Dodd came up with the idea. Mrs. Dodd's father, William Jackson Smart, had raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. While listening to a Mother's Day sermon at a church near her family's home in eastern Washington State, Mrs. Dodd thought about the sacrifices her father had made for his children and the fine job he had done in raising them. Because her father had been born in June, she decided to encourage the churches in her area to honor fathers in June. Through her efforts, the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington, in June 1910.
Halloween is celebrated on October 31st in Canada.
Halloween is a favorite family celebration – a time for traditions such as dressing in costumes, trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, and carving pumpkins. Children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating", and neighbors are expected to respond by giving them small treats. Adults may also dress in costume for Halloween parties.
Halloween (the evening before All Saints or All Hallows Day) is a secular celebration based on ancient Druid customs dating back to 700 B.C. The Druids, a Celtic religious order in ancient Britain, Ireland and France, believed that the souls of the dead returned to mingle with the living on "hallowed eve," October 31. Each year on that night, the Druids would build bonfires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals, and individuals would dress in costumes to disguise themselves from these spirits.
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