Soma

Resources => Other Cultures [Public] => Topic started by: tangerine dream on May 18, 2008, 01:37:53 AM

Title: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on May 18, 2008, 01:37:53 AM

There is so much to talk about with regard to Canadian culture.  I don't really know where to start.  Of course we have a large French population with French being our second language and then we also have about an equal mix of Native Indians as well.  Many different nations living here, it's a big country.

But then we also have a large European influence which includes (sorry if I leave anyone out) Italian, German, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese and especially interesting to me is the Celtic heritage to be found mostly on the Eastern Coast, which I have yet to visit, but would love to see some day.  As well, we have a great influx of Asian, Indian people coming to live here in the recent years.  So, you can see why we are called "The Melting pot".

One of our greatest Cultural attractions though, in all of the Country I believe to be the Museum of Anthropology located at UBC in Vancouver.  This is amazing!  I went there first time when I was very small and the entire experience left quite an imprint on me.   Everything from teepees and totem poles and exquisite Native art to Forts built in times of war to antique machinery and implements to European pottery and historic photographs.  You can check it out online, but a personal visit is highly recommended if ever you get to  visit our great Country!


http://www.moa.ubc.ca/

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on May 19, 2008, 01:50:17 PM

French Canadians



ALTERNATE NAMES: Cajuns

LOCATION: Canada (mainly Quebec); United States (mainly Louisiana and New England)

POPULATION: 6.5 million in Canada; 2–5 million in the United States

LANGUAGE: French

RELIGION: Roman Catholicism


French Canadians are descendants of Canada's colonial-era French settlers. Most live in the province of Quebec, where they form a majority of the population. The past thirty-five years have seen a strong rebirth of the French Canadians' sense of cultural identity. It has been accompanied by a political separatist movement with far-reaching implications not only for Quebec, but for all of Canada.

The French presence in Canada began in 1534, but permanent settlement did not begin until Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608. The French eventually carved out an enormous territory stretching as far east as the Maritime provinces and south to the Gulf of Mexico.

After France's defeat in the French and Indian Wars, Britain won control of New France, formalized by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Under British rule, the French Canadians remained a distinct cultural group. The preservation of their cultural identity was aided by the influence of the Catholic Church, the tendency to marry within their own community, and the tradition of having large families. When the Dominion of Canada was established in 1867, French Canadians accounted for one-third of the new country's population.

After World War II, there were growing demands for political autonomy (self-rule) in Quebec. French was recognized as Quebec's official language in 1974. The separatist Parti Québécois came to power in the province in 1976. A proposal for political independence from the rest of Canada was defeated at the polls in 1980. However, French Canadian separatism has remained a contentious issue for both the province and the nation as a whole.


The 6.5 million French Canadians living in Canada represent about a quarter of the country's total population. The majority—5.1 million—live in the province of Quebec. There are also French Canadians—known as Acadians—in the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. They account for about 15 percent of the population in those provinces. There are also French Canadian communities in Ontario and the western provinces, as well as in the United States.


French Canadians are the largest group of Francophones (French speakers) in North America.

The vocabulary and pronunciation of Canadian French differ from those of the French spoken in France. Québécois is based on an older form of French and also contains many English expressions. For example, "to marry" is marier instead of the French term, épouser. Similarly, "appointment" is appointement instead of rendezvous, and "ignore" is ignorer instead of négliger.

The Acadians speak a distinctive form of French characterized by many old-fashioned expressions preserved from the seventeenth-century dialects of western France. In Moncton, New Brunswick, contact with English speakers has produced a French-English called Chiac.



The French-Canadian folklore tradition was strengthened by colonial laws that made it crucial for French Canadians to transmit their culture orally across the generations. Popular characters in French Canadian folklore include a hero figure named Ti-Jean (short for petit Jean, or Little John) and a hunter named Dalbec.


MAJOR HOLIDAYS

French Canadians celebrate Dollard Day on the Monday preceding May 25. The day honors a seventeenth-century French war hero. On that same day, the rest of Canada celebrates Victoria Day in honor of Britain's Queen Victoria. The most important religious holidays for French Canadians are Christmas and Easter. Many—especially those in rural areas—still observe the traditional Christmas celebration. It includes a large midnight supper (Réveillon) of tourtières (meat pies), ragaut (stew), and other dishes. On St. Jean Baptiste Day (24 June), the Québécois celebrate their patron saint with parties, bonfires, and fireworks. The Acadians' patron saint is Our Lady of the Assumption, and Assumption Day (August 15) is their day of celebration.



Like their English-speaking neighbors, French Canadians are hospitable, friendly, and polite. It is common for men to open doors for women or give up a seat if a woman is standing. French Canadians use the common greeting of Bonjour (Good day) for "Hello" and Au revoir for "Goodbye." Adults use first names and informal forms of address (such as tu rather than vous) only with people they know well, such as close friends or relatives. Both men and women may exchange kisses on both cheeks in a European-style greeting. Close women friends often greet each other by embracing.

I thought this was interesting considering the topic of discussion here lately re please and thank you and kisses and I love yous.   French folks in canada are very touchy-feely, very passionate and emotional and not at all afraid to show or talk about how they feel.  It's not unusual for them to kiss each other hello or goodbye or walk around arms around each other or holding hands.

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on May 19, 2008, 02:02:14 PM

Quebec has a rich, distinctive French-Canadian cuisine. Popular dishes include tourtière (a meat pie), and ragoût de boulettes et de pattes do cochon (a stew made from meatballs and pigs' feet). Other favorites include French onion soup, pea soup, and poutine, a traditional dish made with French fries or grated potatoes, topped with gravy and cheese curds. Quebec is also known for its maple syrup. Children enjoy eating tourquettes, a natural candy made by pouring boiling maple syrup onto fresh snow.

Recipe
Tourtière
Ingredients

    * 1½ to 2 pounds pork, ground or finely chopped
    * 1 clove of garlic, crushed
    * 1 medium onion, chopped
    * ½ cup hot water
    * ¼ teaspoon celery salt
    * ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    * salt and pepper to taste
    * double 9-inch pie crust

Directions

   1. Mix the water, pork, and seasonings in a saucepan.
   2. Cook over a low flame for 20 to 25 minutes and then cool. (Optional: ¼ cup dry bread crumbs may be added at this point.)
   3. Cover the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with bottom layer of pie dough, add pork filling, and cover with top layer of dough.
   4. Seal the crust by pinching the edges together. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pie about 35 minutes, or until browned.

(http://media.canada.com/idl/vasn/20061213/119770-42486.jpg)

Hockey, the Canadian national sport, is popular among French Canadians. Every team in the National Hockey League (NHL) includes French Canadians. Quebec has had five professional teams since the NHL began in 1917—three in Montreal (Canadiens, 1917–present; Wanderers, 1917–18; and Maroons, 1924–38) and two in Quebec City (Bulldogs, 1919–20; and Nordiques, 1979–95). The Montreal Canadiens—popularly known as the "Habitants" or "Habs"—have won the Stanley Cup, which is awarded to League champions, more than twenty times.


The Canadian Broadcasting System (CBC) broadcasts French-language news programs, dramas, films, and sports events. Quebec also has a large audience for English-language television and radio programming and magazines. Le Journal de Montréal and La Presse are the most widely read French-language newspapers.

Like Canadians of all backgrounds, French Canadians enjoy the beautiful scenery of their native land on vacation trips. Many families own small cottages in the country, which they visit on weekends and during vacations. Others travel to distant parts of the country for camping or other outdoor activities.

A time-honored pastime among French Canadian families in Quebec is "sugaring off." Early in the spring, they head for the woods to tap maple trees for sap that is then boiled down in cabines à sucre ("sugar shacks") to make maple syrup and maple sugar.


Traditional crafts among the Acadians include knitting and weaving. Colorful hooked rugs are a specialty.

One of the great attractions of French Canadian Culture is the Cirque du Soleil.  That requires a thead of it's own.  Spectacular artistry and athleticism!
(http://simonandbaker.com/cirque_jester.jpg)

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: Jennifer- on May 19, 2008, 10:27:48 PM

Quote

Recipe
Tourtière
Ingredients

    * 1½ to 2 pounds pork, ground or finely chopped
    * 1 clove of garlic, crushed
    * 1 medium onion, chopped
    * ½ cup hot water
    * ¼ teaspoon celery salt
    * ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    * salt and pepper to taste
    * double 9-inch pie crust

My father's family serves this every year at the christmas gathering.

I used to hate it when I was young.. and we HAD to eat "the pie" before santa came..

Its not so bad anymore..

I also dont attend the gathering anymore... and wont be making it myself any time soon.

I think they add some potato too.

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: Michael on May 19, 2008, 11:46:15 PM

Quote from: soulflower on May 19, 2008, 02:02:14 PM

Like Canadians of all backgrounds, French Canadians enjoy the beautiful scenery of their native land on vacation trips. Many families own small cottages in the country, which they visit on weekends and during vacations. Others travel to distant parts of the country for camping or other outdoor activities.

A time-honored pastime among French Canadian families in Quebec is "sugaring off." Early in the spring, they head for the woods to tap maple trees for sap that is then boiled down in cabines à sucre ("sugar shacks") to make maple syrup and maple sugar

such a civilised culture!

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on May 20, 2008, 01:09:14 AM

Quote from: Michael on May 19, 2008, 11:46:15 PM

such a civilised culture!

There is another side of that coin, of course.

Title: Cirque du Soleil
Post by: tangerine dream on May 20, 2008, 11:54:24 AM

Seeking a career in the performing arts, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté toured Europe as a folk musician and busker after quitting college. By the time he returned back home to Canada in 1979, he had learned the art of fire breathing. Although he became "employed" at a hydroelectric power plant in James Bay, his job ended after only three days due to a labour strike. He decided not to look for another job, instead supporting himself on his unemployment insurance. He helped to organize a summer fair in Baie-Saint-Paul with the help of a pair of friends named Daniel Gauthier and Gilles Ste-Croix.[4][6]

Gauthier and Ste-Croix were managing a performing artist's youth hostel named Le Balcon Vert at that time. By the summer of 1979, Ste-Croix had been developing the idea of turning the Balcon Vert, and the talented performers that lived there, into an organized performing troupe. Although the talent was plentiful, they lacked the funding to make their idea a reality. As part of a publicity stunt to convince the Quebec government to help fund his production, Ste-Croix walked the fifty-six miles from Baie-Saint-Paul to Quebec City on stilts. The ploy worked, giving the three men the money to create Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul. Employing many of the people that would later make up Cirque, Les Échassiers toured Quebec during the summer of 1980.[11][12]

Although well received by audiences and critics alike, Les Échassiers was a financial failure. Laliberté spent that winter in Hawaii plying his trade while Ste-Croix stayed in Quebec to set up a nonprofit holding company named "The High-Heeled Club" to mitigate the losses of the previous summer. In 1981 they met with better results. By the fall of 1981, Les Échassiers de Baie-Saint-Paul had broken even. The success inspired Laliberté and Ste-Croix to organize a summer fair in their hometown of Baie-Saint-Paul.[11]

This touring festival, called "La Fête Foraine", first took place in July of 1982. La Fēte Foraine featured workshops to teach the circus arts to the public, after which those who participated could take part in a performance. Ironically, the festival was barred from its own hosting town after complaints from local citizens.[13] Laliberté managed and produced the fair over the next couple years, nurturing it into a moderate financial success. But it was during 1983 that the government of Quebec gave him a 1.5 million dollar grant to host a production the following year as part of Quebec's 450th anniversary celebration of the French explorer Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada. Laliberté named his creation "Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil."[14][4]

s



Originally intended to only be a one-year project, Cirque du Soleil was scheduled to perform in eleven towns in Quebec over the course of thirteen weeks running concurrent with the third La Fēte Foraine. The first shows were riddled with difficulty, starting with the collapse of the big top after the increased weight of rainwater cause the central mast to snap. Working with a borrowed tent, Laliberté then had to contend with difficulties with the European performers who were so unhappy with the Quebec circus' inexperience, that they had at one point sent a letter to the media complaining about how they were being treated.[4]

The problems were only transient, however, and by the time 1984 had come to a close, Le Grand Tour du Cirque Du Soleil was a success. Having only sixty-thousand dollars left in the bank, Laliberté went back to the Canadian government to secure funding for a second year. Unfortunately, while the Canadian federal government was enthusiastic, the Quebec provincial government was resistant to the idea. It was not until Quebec's Premier, René Lévesque intervened on their behalf that the provincial government relented.[4]

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on May 20, 2008, 12:02:21 PM

(http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/07/31/Santos.jpg)

(http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/10/14/cirque_du_soleil_wideweb__430x294.jpg)

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on May 20, 2008, 12:05:49 PM

more Cirque here (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/spectaculera/default.htm)

Title: First Nations
Post by: tangerine dream on May 21, 2008, 08:24:45 AM

Aboriginal people in Canada are Peoples recognized in the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982, sections 25 and 35, respectively as Indians, Métis, and Inuit. It also refers to self-identification of Aboriginal People who live within Canada, but who have not chosen to accept the extinction of their rights of Sovereignty or Aboriginal Title of their lands. These Indigenous Peoples who assert that their Sovereign rights have not been extinguished point to the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which is mentioned in the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982, Section 25, as well as to the British North America Act and the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties to which Canada and Great Britain are signatories, in support of this claim.

The terms "First Peoples" and "First Nations" have also been used synonymously, and are occasionally used as descriptive terms by U.S. Native Americans in solidarity with their Canadian relatives. As of the 2006 Canadian Census there are over 1,172,790 Aboriginal people in Canada, 3.8% of the country's total population.[1] This comprises 698,025 people of First Nations descent, 389,785 Métis, and 50,485 Inuit. National representative bodies of Aboriginal peoples in Canada include the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, the Native Women's Association of Canada, the National Association of Friendship Centres and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. These bodies however are not recognized by some Indigenous Peoples in Canada as representing their interests. Some such Indigenous Peoples prefer to rely upon their traditional laws and governance and pick their representation accordingly.

Title: First Nations
Post by: tangerine dream on May 21, 2008, 08:30:27 AM

(http://www.the-happy-immigrant.com/images/walpoleislandpowwow.jpg)


Ontario's Capital City was called "To'ron'to" "(The Place of Meeting) by our ancestors 10,000 years ago as it was a shortcut to Lake Huron on busy trade routes to Mexico, Although this busy trade route was used by many First Nations traveling across North America, the region was homeland to the Mississaugas who eventually moved north and east from the growing city and the Hurons who settled on the shores of Georgian Bay. It has long been believed that the "Great Spirit" resides on beautiful Manitoulin Island, the Worlds' largest freshwater island that lies at the top of Georgian Bay which is homeland to the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations; known as the Three Fires.

(http://www.ataso.ca/Member%20Pics/CANAB1.jpg)



(http://www.blacksbay.com/img/Manitoulin/Aboriginals/native2.jpg)

Jennifer,

You might like this. Some art from the Woodland Cree.  They are famous for their birchbark pieces. 

(http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=42189&rendTypeId=4)

(http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/culture_and_spirit/milnen2.jpg)

Title: Bark biting
Post by: tangerine dream on May 21, 2008, 08:32:17 AM

LA RONGE -- In the early 1990s, Cree Elder Sally Milne decided she was going to become the best in the world at something. Precisely what that something was going to be, she didn't know. In fact at the time, she didn't know why she felt so compelled to excel.

Milne first considered cross-country skiing. She had very little experience with the winter sport. But the date of a popular, all-abilities competition was approaching and she thought the event might be a good opportunity to measure her potential. Before it arrived, however, event organizers asked her to provide some prizes in the form of birch bark bitings she'd just recently begun to create. . .

"I'm now one of the four most renowned bark biters in the world,'' Milne proclaims, her small smile growing into a hearty laugh as she adds: "There's a total of four of us in the world!''

Of course the last part is not true -- Milne's humor is often self-deprecating and seldom far from the surface during a chat at the La Ronge Band RCMP office where she works as an aboriginal resource person. The truth is that in less than 10 years, her exquisite designs have found their way into homes in Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, China, Australia and New Zealand. Here in North America, Canadian Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson and Hollywood movie star Bruce Willis are among those who own and admire her birch bark bitings.
Dragonflies, a common theme.

Sally Milne has become the best at something. She's an aboriginal artist with a global reputation. And she now believes she understands why she felt moved to attain her high standing.

"Society has to have a wider picture of who you are. It's like: Sally Milne is a well-known artist so, okay, we can take her seriously. That's what it's for. It's to gain credibility in the mainstream society.''

Milne needs this credibility to maximize her reach and effectiveness as a teacher of traditional Native culture. And while she searched for it "out there'', she now sees clearly that the means to achieve it were inside of her all the time.

She believes her path was set out for her by the "Seven Grandfathers", spiritual keepers of the traditional Native principles of love, respect, honesty, peace, patience, courage and wisdom. She likens these laws to Christianity's Ten Commandments, except Native culture focuses on the 'shalts' rather than the 'shalt nots'. And each tenet must be accepted as second nature before the next one can be learned.
Beautiful detail.

"When the Grandfathers look at you they can see where your heart is at,'' says Milne. "You have to love yourself before you can love others. You have to respect yourself before you can respect others.''

Aside from the public recognition it's given her, Milne's art plays an important role in her personal life. She says it gives her strength by connecting her to the beauty and tranquillity she knew as a young girl growing up on the trap line in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan. Yet she's disarmingly matter-of-fact about bark biting and the amount of effort involved in its creation.

It takes three or four weekends each summer to collect most of the bark required for a year's worth of bitings, she says. The most difficult and time-consuming aspect of the entire process is not the actual biting, but rather the peeling of thin layers of bark used for the designs.

"Once I've got the bark (prepared), then every once in a while I'll sit down to watch a movie and I'll make these bitings,'' says Milne. "Then I just stick them in books and forget about them.''

Each biting is produced in a matter of minutes. She once created 83 or 84 -- she wasn't sure of the precise number -- in one sitting. She has hundreds of the bitings, which she sells for as little as $15, filed in books throughout her home.

The intricate, symmetrical patterns are created by folding a segment of bark and "bruising" it with her teeth. Milne's designs typically depict butterflies, bees or dragonflies in a forest setting.

"I used to do a lot of spiders, too, but it seems nobody except me liked them.''

Traditional Woodland Cree used bark bitings as templates for decorating baskets with quills. There was no "art for art's sake" in the nomadic lives of the Cree, according to Milne. Arts and crafts were used as decoration for necessities such as clothing, tools and utensils. The bitings were discarded after serving their purpose.

Milne credits her traditional upbringing on the trap line and her late entry into the infamous residential school system -- she was 12 before she went to school in Prince Albert -- with helping her to value the goals of balance and harmony in her adult life.

(http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/culture_and_spirit/milne4.jpg)

She says much Cree culture and spirituality was lost over the past century as traditional knowledge normally passed down by Elders was replaced by an alien culture imposed by Euro-Canadian schools and churches.

So well removed was the Lac La Ronge band from its roots, says Milne, that she and others interested in spiritual renewal were forced to go to Manitoba and Alberta to relearn much of the traditional knowledge and understanding behind Woodland Cree ceremonies and traditional spiritual practices.

Milne, who in 1984 began teaching Cree culture at the band school in La Ronge, reflects on the trials facing many Aboriginal peoples in a teacher's guide she wrote called Living in a Good Way. In it, she asks readers to imagine someone stripping them naked and permanently removing them from their homes and from everything they own.

"And then after a time, when your dignity, self-respect and pride are gone, this same someone comes and says: 'Come, from now on I'll look after you, your every need will depend on how I feel at the moment.''

The guide goes on to show how an understanding of traditional culture can help give Aboriginal youth the tools they need to lead balanced and fulfilling lives in modern times.

(http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/culture_and_spirit/milnen6.jpg)

Today, in addition to her nine-to-five job, Milne is a medicine woman who specializes in the treatment of people suffering emotional problems, especially children.

She teaches a university extension class in Cree culture -- she's the first person in Saskatchewan to teach a university class without having a university degree. And she's helped five young people earn their Master's degrees by being their source of information on traditional aspects of Aboriginal knowledge.

"I tell the kids 'find out who you are and you can take it with you anywhere you go. It doesn't matter where you live or what you do -- you can be a rocket scientist. But you still have to have this knowledge about yourself'.''

There was a point in Milne's young adult life when she began to doubt her traditional beliefs. She recalls thinking that maybe she'd been wrong all along. Maybe the people whose values she held dear really were as backwards as some suggested.

"I thought the best thing to do was to go back (to the trapline) and see for myself,'' she said. "So I went back home and, by gawd, they were great!"

And with that, Sally Milne laughed heartily.

Title: Re: Bark biting
Post by: tangerine dream on May 21, 2008, 08:46:40 AM

Quote from: soulflower on May 21, 2008, 08:32:17 AM

"I tell the kids 'find out who you are and you can take it with you anywhere you go. It doesn't matter where you live or what you do -- you can be a rocket scientist. But you still have to have this knowledge about yourself'.''

 :-* :-* :-*
Love to all

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: nichi on May 21, 2008, 08:59:12 AM

(http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/culture_and_spirit/milnen6.jpg)

Love that.

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: Jennifer- on May 21, 2008, 07:20:01 PM

Quote

Jennifer,

You might like this. Some art from the Woodland Cree.  They are famous for their birchbark pieces.

 :) :-* :)  Beautiful!

Ive enjoyed this whole thread very much Lori.. my father is a large part french canadian.

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: Angela on May 22, 2008, 12:16:41 AM

Quote from: soulflower on May 20, 2008, 12:02:21 PM

(http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/07/31/Santos.jpg)

(http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/10/14/cirque_du_soleil_wideweb__430x294.jpg)

I love the Cirque du Soleil shows that evolved from this troupe!  Kris and I saw the newest one, 'Love' at the Mirage Resort here in Vegas about a month ago.  It's based on the music of The Beatles.  I enjoy the characters interaction with with audience and how they make you feel "part of the show".  The performers are awesome!  The way they manipulate their bodies and move is such a three dimensional art form. Beautiful! ;D

http://www.mirage.com/entertainment/entertainment_cirque_trailer.aspx

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: Michael on May 22, 2008, 09:24:26 PM

That is a remix of the Beatles, with parts intermixed also. I believe it was actually commissioned by Cirque du Soleil. Anyway it was done by George Martin's son.

I have heard most of it, and it is very good, but I still prefer the old analogue versions. There is an edge to the new one, which digital is famous for.

I also hear that Vegas is finished - no water is coming with the climate changes. Was something I heard on a science program. All these cultures are soon to change in a big way - even the ones we live in - not just the carbon-climate crisis, but the price of petrol. We are watching the end of so many cultures.

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on May 25, 2008, 12:53:34 PM

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/serenitygarden/Sunday015.jpg)
Canadian Geese

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: tangerine dream on July 01, 2008, 11:12:52 PM

(http://www.adorableideas.com/images/ASD171b%20-%20Canada%20Day.gif)

Canada Day is an opportunity to gather in our communities, from coast to coast to coast, and to proudly celebrate all we have in common. It is an opportunity to celebrate our achievements, which were born in the audacious vision and shared values of our ancestors, and which are voiced in nearly all of the languages of the world through the contribution of new Canadians.

Canada Day is a time to celebrate the heritage passed down to us through the works of our authors, poets, artists and performers. It is a time to rejoice in the discoveries of our scientific researchers, in the success of our entrepreneurs, and to commemorate our history — a history in which each new chapter reveals itself to be more touching, more fascinating than the last.

As we look ahead, we have every reason to face the future with confidence and enthusiasm.

This year, as we celebrate the 141st anniversary of Confederation, we also celebrate the 400th anniversary of Québec City, which also marks the founding of Canada. Let's Celebrate Canada!



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".

Title: Re: Canadiana
Post by: Michael on July 01, 2008, 11:16:25 PM

happy Canada Day!