Happy Birthday Canada!
C'est son 148 anniversaire
The year 2015 marks the 148th celebration of Canada Day, which commemorates the day that Canada became a nation. The holiday is observed on July 1 (unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case Canada Day is observed the following day).
On July 1, 1867, the British North America Act united the British colonies of Upper Canada, Lower Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into "one dominion under the name of Canada." These four colonies became Canada's first four provinces; Lower Canada was renamed Quebec, and Upper Canada was renamed Ontario.
The July 1 holiday was known as Dominion Day until October 27, 1982, when an act of parliament established the name Canada Day. The new name symbolized a step away from Canada's colonial past. The holiday had also sometimes been known as First of July or Confederation Day. Like Fourth of July festivities in the United States, Canada Day is celebrated with such summer pleasures as picnics, barbeques, and fireworks.
The name Canada derives from an Iroquoian word for "village," kanata, that French explorers heard used to refer to the area near present-day Quebec City. Today, Canada comprises ten provinces and three territories.
When the Provinces and Territories Became Part of Canada
|British Columbia ||1871|
|New Brunswick ||1867|
|Northwest Territories ||1870|
|Nova Scotia ||1867|
|Prince Edward Island ||1873|
|Yukon Territory ||1898||
Canadian National Holidays
|New Year's Day ||January 1 |
|Victoria Day ||the Monday on or preceding May 24 |
|Canada Day ||July 1 |
|Civic or Provincial Holidays* ||first Monday in August |
|Labour Day ||first Monday in September |
|Thanksgiving Day ||second Monday in October |
|Remembrance Day ||November 11 |
|Christmas Day ||December 25 |
|Boxing Day ||December 26
*moveable holiday; the first Monday in August is observed as a holiday when no other civil or provincial holiday is observed on another date |
- Video: "Dreaming of July 1st"
- by Imagination Works