Victoria Day

 God Save the Queen! Today is Victoria Day in Canada, and although for many it's simply a long weekend that kicks off the summer season, it started out as a way to honor Queen Victoria.

Throughout history, the birthdays of monarchs have often been occasions of celebration. Before Victoria came to the British throne in 1837, the birthday of the king or queen was usually a military occasion. During the 18th century in the the British colonies of North America, local militias would hold compulsory training exercises on the monarch's birthday, and then would drink a toast to the king in the local tavern.

In 1841, the parliaments of Upper and Lower Canada were replaced by a single parliament for the Province of Canada. In an effort to find common ground between English and French Canadians, a celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday was one idea that appealed to all. The young queen's birthday, May 24th, was first declared an official public holiday in 1845 by the legislative assembly of the Province of Canada.

Celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday in Toronto, 1854

Over the years the celebrations grew, and Canadians welcomed the chance to display loyalty to the crown, and the date conveniently heralded the beginning of warmer weather. On Queen Victoria's 35th birthday in 1854, about five thousand Canadians gathered in Toronto, and by the time of Confederation in 1867, the festivities included parades, military reviews, picnics, and fireworks. Queen Victoria was especially loved by Canadians, as she was the monarch on the throne when Canada became an independent country, and she had chosen Ottawa as the new nation's capital.

These early holidays didn't always fall on a weekend, as they were always held on May 24th. Canadians continued to honor and remember Queen Victoria on that date after her death in 1901, and celebrated the ruling monarch's birthday separately. In 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were touring Canada during May, so Victoria Day was used as the official birthday of the king, even though his birthday was actually in December. Then in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II (whose birthday is in April) ascended the throne, and Victoria Day became the official celebration of the queen's birthday. At that time, the date was fixed as the Monday before May 25th of each year, creating a long weekend right at the beginning of summer.

Canada remains the only country of the Commonwealth to commemorate Queen Victoria with a public holiday. The federal government protocol is that the Royal Union Flag (or Union Jack) is flown from sunrise to sunset at all federal buildings.

These days Canadians enjoy the long weekend as a chance to get away to the cottage or cabin, barbecue, or attend outdoor festivals. 

The original version of this article appeared in May 2020 as From the High School Lesson Book: Victoria Day

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Canada Day

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Happy Canada Day!

On this Canada Day, I have a brief history to share, along with a few quotes about Canada Day.

On July 1, 1867, the British North America Act united the three colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada (now the two provinces of Ontario and Quebec) into a single country within the British Empire. This Act of Parliament was known as the Constitution Act, and it granted Canada substantial freedom from England, although it remained a part of the British Commonwealth, and most Canadians of the time still thought of themselves as British citizens. The Dominion of Canada became a kingdom in its own right, although the British Parliament maintained some rights of limited political control. The first official celebration of Dominion Day marking this occasion was held in 1917, on Canada's 50th birthday. The centennial, in 1967, was the first truly widespread celebration of the birthday.

The national anthem, O Canada, was established on July 1, 1980.

O Canada!

Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

A few years ago, the third line was changed to "true patriot love in all of us command," but it doesn't quite come naturally to me yet!

Canada received full and complete independence from Great Britain on July 1, 1982, and later that year, the name Dominion Day was officially changed to Canada Day.

Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die. ~Pierre Trudeau

Canada is the homeland of equality, justice and tolerance. ~Kim Campbell

I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind. ~John Diefenbaker

Whether we agree politically with these former Prime Ministers or not, they said the right things on occasion, which I suppose is probably true of most politicians. Here's what a British Prime Minster had to say about Canada:

There are no limits to the majestic future which lies before the mighty expanse of Canada with its virile, aspiring, cultured, and generous-hearted people. ~Winston Churchill

I hope he's right. I hope Canadians value their freedom and all the advantages they enjoy and fight to keep those freedoms.

Canadians have an abiding interest in surprising those Americans who have historically made little effort to learn about their neighbour to the North. ~Peter Jennings

I have actually found that to be true, especially when we first moved to the USA and were surprised at how much we had to explain about Canada.

Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain. ~Pierre Trudeau

Hysterically funny, amazingly talented people. That's what I think of when I think of Canada. That, and cold beer. And mountains. ~Richard Patrick

You forgot hockey and curling!

Here are some links to my past articles with background on a few Canadian treats we enjoy, and the recipes:

Canada Day Butter Tarts

Eating the Americas - Poutine.

Eating the Americas - Nanaimo Bars.

French-Canadian Tourtiere

This post is based on this earlier article: Canada Day 2019.

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An Alberta PhotoJournal

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We've been home for a week now, but I'd realized that I had so many pictures to share from our recent trip to Alberta that it would require its own blog post, so here it is! It had been ten years since our last visit to Alberta, so this was a long-anticipated chance to see family, to reconnect with friends from way back, and to be reminded again of some of the highlights of the area I grew up in and where we spent the first few years of our marriage.

The beginning and the end of our week we enjoyed beautiful fall weather―bright blue skies and not too cold or windy. Classic "crisp" fall days. We took advantage of those days by going for walks in a couple of parks close to where my parents now live . . .

This Airdrie city park had a walkway around a small lake where there were plenty of water birds. Not all that unusual, but they weren't all Mallards and Canada Geese. We were pretty sure we spotted wood ducks, confidently identified American Wigeons, and we thought we saw (and heard) Common Loons. I finally got a decent enough photo of a pair that we originally thought we loons, but once I zoomed in on my photo, I decided they were actually Hooded Mergansers. A couple of nice additions to my "Life List" of birds using my Merlin app! (My husband pointed out awhile ago that the Merlin and Audubon bird identification apps are really like Pokemon Go for older adults - gotta spot 'em all! - and he's not wrong!) 

Another day we took advantage of the lovely weather to visit Big Hill Springs Provincial Park and do a bit of easy hiking. My sister and niece were free to join us that day as well.

We went into Cochrane for a coffee break afterwards, and the view towards the west was a wonderful preview for our next day, when we got yet another practically perfect day as far as weather, and we spent the day at Banff National Park. 

Our first stop was the Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake loop.

Next we drove up Mount Norquay. No skiing for us! But the view of the town of Banff from Norquay is so pretty.

We drove through town, and then out to the Cave and Basin. This is where three railway workers discovered thermal hot springs in 1883, and where the tourism draw of the area began. I don't know if I'd be interested in climbing down into a dark cave that smelled of sulphur, but they did it! And recognized the potential.

Eventually Canada's first National Park was established and people came to take in the hot springs. The first pool and hotel was built here. The pool closed sometime in the 1960s, and later on the building was restored, no longer as a pool, but now as a historical site.

You can walk up boardwalks above the building to see (and smell!) the springs, and there's also a nature boardwalk downhill from the building, where you can see birds and wildlife along with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains. And yes, I did a little birdwatching here too, getting some pretty decent photos of a belted kingfisher, and spotting a couple more waterbirds to add to my "Life List".

Another very popular place to visit and take photos in Banff is Bow Falls. It's just a short walk from downtown, and not very far from the iconic Banff Springs Hotel. Way back in the day, when we lived in Calgary, we used to go canoeing and put in here. (During the summer when it was hot, of course!)

Back into town for lunch! Most of Main Street is now closed to vehicle traffic, which makes sense from a tourism and town management viewpoint, but it makes it harder to decide where you want to eat since you can't do a driveby! We chose Canadian Brewhouse and I thought the view from the restaurant window was pretty nice!

And finally, it was time to head to the Upper Hot Springs to relax in the pool. 

We drove on the Tunnel Mountain Road out of town, which took us past the campgrounds where my family used to spend so many weekends when I was growing up, and past the resort where my husband and I stayed on our honeymoon! After a quick look at this view of the river and the hoodoos, we were ready to head back to my parents' place for the evening.

My parents now live in Airdrie, but we used to live in Calgary. We didn't spend much time in the city at all, but on the day we went to meet my brother for coffee, we drove around a bit to see how things have changed and what's stayed the same. We drove by the house where I grew up, my high school, and the church where we attended. The house is quite changed, and the church building now belongs to a Korean congregation. We also drove past the house where my husband and I lived, and past the greenhouse where he worked. Calgary Tower used to be the tallest building in the downtown, but now is surrounded by much taller skyscrapers. Those stone lions on the Centre Street Bridge are still there, and looking good!

And prairie views may not be as iconic as the mountain views, but I think they are beautiful.

I also made sure I got some photos of a bird I like―the magpie. I'm pretty sure magpies are a western bird, and although I like them (and I like crows too, which is weird, I know) I was reminded that most people are quite annoyed by them and their aggressive scavenger ways! They are very smart birds, apparently, and I think they are pretty. So there. This particular magpie might not have been among the best and brightest of the species, because right after I took this photo, he attempted to fly up onto the eaves of the building and made an epic misjudgement, hitting his head with an audible thunk! Doh! We laughed. Mr Magpie was okay, but probably embarrassed.

 

The main reason for our visit―or at least for the timing of our visit―was to join my siblings in celebrating our parents' 60th wedding anniversary! So here are a few family fun photos from the occasion.

The eating/drinking something action shot is a long-standing family tradition!

Thanks for joining me on this tour! Hope you enjoyed it, and maybe even learned something. Have you been to Calgary or to Banff? Leave a comment and let me know when and where, or which of these places you'd like to visit!

See my related posts: A Canadian Rockies PhotoJournal, Part One and A Southern Alberta PhotoJournal

A version of this post will also appear on A Fresh Cup of Coffee.

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