kə nā′dē ən:

The “Victoria Day” Weekend is a three-day holiday commemorating the birth of Queen Victoria (born on May 24, 1819).  Canada has been celebrating Victoria Day as the official birthday of the reigning Monarch, since Victoria’s reign (1837 to 1901), even though there have been five Monarchs since then.

 You have undoubtedly heard friends and colleagues refer to this weekend as “MAY TWO FOUR.”  There are a couple of reasons for that.  The first of which is that May 24^th was the actual birth date of Queen Victoria, and so Canada celebrates that birthday, on the Monday that immediately precedes May 25^th each year.  The other reason Canadians refer to the unofficial start to the Canadian summer, as “May Two Four” has everything to do with a large case of beer, which holds twenty-four bottles.  This case is affectionately referred to as a “Two Four.”  Hence the name of the weekend.

Here is some OFFICIAL historical (and some NOT-SO-HISTORICAL) Background on this holiday weekend:

In Canada, the celebration of Victoria Day occurs every year on the Monday, prior to May 25th. It is the official celebration in Canada of the birthdays of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II and every reigning Monarch in between. Victoria Day was established as a holiday in Canada 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. 

Queen Victoria was born May 24, 1819

Crowned June 20, 1837 at the age of 18 (Reigned until 1901)

-         Edward VII (Reign 1901-1910)

-         George V (Reign 1910-1936)

-         Edward VII (Reign 1936; abdicated the thrown)

-         George VI (Reign 1936-1952)

Queen Elizabeth II was born April 21, 1926

Crowned on June 28, 1953

Even though subsequent Monarchs celebrated different birthdays, Canada continued to observe Victoria Day. An amendment to the Statutes of Canada in 1952 established the celebration of Victoria Day the Monday preceding May 25.  From 1953 to 1956, the Queen’s birthday was celebrated in Canada on Victoria Day, by proclamation of the Governor General, with Her Majesty’s approval. In 1957, Victoria Day was permanently appointed as the Queen’s birthday in Canada. In the United Kingdom, the Queen’s birthday is celebrated in June (even though she was born in April). 

The unofficial start to summer in Canada is the “May 24^th” weekend – even though it doesn’t always fall on May 24^th.  It is the first warm weather opportunity for Canadians to spend the long weekend at their cottage, or lounge on a patio somewhere in the city, and drink beer.

It is also important to note that this Monday is a Business Holiday, which means that many stores and offices are closed.

Under the Retail Business Holidays Act, Victoria Day, is among the eight days annually when most stores must be closed.  This means that all the following facilities will be closed on the holiday Monday:  Government Offices & Services, Schools, Banks, Liquor & Beer Stores and most retail stores.

The Act, administered by the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services, exempts some retail operations. Flower shops, gas stations and book or magazine stores under 2,400 square feet with a maximum of three employees, are among exempted businesses.  Stores may also be open in locations established as tourist areas by specific municipal bylaws.  In Toronto, many business areas are designated as Tourist Areas, and will be open all weekend (some areas include: Yorkville, the Beaches, Harbourfront and Queen Street West).

Many tourist areas and private citizens further celebrate the holiday by having fireworks displays.  Check the local newspapers for listings of City Sponsored fireworks displays.  But don’t be surprised this weekend if you here and see small fireworks going off in your neighbourhood each night.

Since the creation of this Web Log account, I have been spending an excessive amount of time, trying to compose the definitive inaugural entry that captures the essence of Canadian culture, and launches what is hoped to be a regular series of commentaries on what it means to be Canadian.  Of course I want to do this by conveying an air of whimsy and lightheartedness that is both nostalgic and contemporary while offering a realistic view of the Canadian cultural landscape.

Of course, this ambition brings me to the question, “what first entry would set a tone that, at once, defines who Canadians are and who we aspire to be (without sounding like a grade school history text)?”

There are some obvious (and soon to be addressed) choices in the Canadian cultural landscape:

• Ice Hockey (and Lacrosse, the other official national sport)
• Maple Syrup
• Tim Horton and his coffee
• Lester B Pearson and the modern day “Peacekeeper”
• Victoria Day Weekend and why Canadians refer to it as “May Two Four.”

But a few days ago, I was reminded of something so close to me that I had forgotten that it was even part of who I am, and where I fit in Canadian culture because of it.  It is something that extends to all of us, in different ways – depending on our point-of-view.

I grew up in a small Northern Ontario town, a child of immigrant parents.  This is an experience shared by a lot of Canadians – many of us are only one or two generations away from our origins in another Country.  This relationship ties us very closely to the experiences of new immigrants and international students.  And our early childhoods often bind us to the physical geography of this country – as large as it is there is a thread of shared experiences with the land that keeps us connected.  But that’s not the whole story … it’s not even the beginning of the story.

It is generally accepted that Canada came into being on July 1, 1867.  And to be Canadian, as it is defined today, comes largely from our shared experiences leading up to that date and in the years that followed.  And interwoven into these shared experiences is another thread, sometimes entangled and knotted but assuredly, longer, stronger and more dynamic.  I’m speaking of a culture we all now know as First Nations.  We are very lucky here at U of T, to have access to First Nations House, an organization whose mission is to provide support and guidance to Aboriginal students, Canadians and visitors alike.  As I mentioned above, a few days ago I attended an information session for Student Life staff, provided by First Nations House, which offered an Aboriginal perspective on Learning and Leadership.  During the talk, I found myself recalling my childhood in Northern Ontario; a time when all my friends were from the Ojibway nation.  From there, my life progressed in a predictable linear fashion; passing through academic grades in perfect congruence with my chronological age.  And here I was, sitting in a classroom (four perfect rows of seats, stretched out, perfectly in line), listening to a talk that was trying to convey Aboriginal teachings, in a way I might understand.  That is to say, that our First Nations Presenters were doing their very best to offer a linear explanation for a very non-linear culture.  My memory of my childhood is instant and immediate.  I do not have to traverse a lifetime of memories to get there.  It is all right there, within the sphere of my thoughts.  And for lack of a better way to express it that may be the essence of Aboriginal teaching – it’s spherical (at least in as much as I might understand a sphere).

Now, what has any of this to do with being Canadian?  Well, almost every first, second or even third generation Canadian, had an early childhood relationship with our First Nations.  For some of us it was real and tangible, for others the relationship was more nebulous or even vicarious.  But something about it, informs who we are today, and who we aspire to be.

For each of you, as international students who may be here for only a semester or possibly many years to come, I would offer that your expanding view and understanding of Canada and Canadians, begins at First Nations House, right here on campus.  Because in truth, it all starts there.

This web log is devoted to all things uniquely and/or curiously Canadian.  The goal is to bring the Canadian cultural landscape into sharp focus for our international students at the University of Toronto.

See the growing list of categories on the main page, to read about such topics as Canadian Culture, Art, Sports, the political landscape and much much more.