Victoria Day - Canada

[Mrs.Claus]

This weekend is Victoria Day weekend also known as May 24 (pronounced two four). May 24th was Queen Victoria's birthday and being a former British colony we celebrate her birthday with a day off of work and fireworks! Here's a link to a bit of history:

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/jf ... oria_e.cfm

[Noel+]

Wishing all Canadians a wonderful Victoria day!!!

[Merry Sage]

Have a great holiday!

[Jodie]

I hope you have a nice day off Mrs C.

We celebrate Queen Elizabeth II birthday (her actual birthday is in April) but we celebrate with a long weekend in June - I cannot remember why.

[Mrs.Claus]

This explanation might help a bit (I borrowed it from the website I linked to above):

The birthday of King Edward VII, who was born on November 9, was by yearly proclamation during his reign (1901-1910) celebrated on Victoria Day. It was not an innovation to celebrate the birthday of the reigning sovereign on the anniversary of the birth of a predecessor. In Great Britain, the birthdays of George IV (1820-1830) and William IV (1830-1837) were celebrated on June 4, birthday of George III (1760-1820).

The birthday of King George V, who reigned from 1910 to 1935, was celebrated on the actual date, June 3 or, when that was a Sunday, by proclamation on June 4. The one birthday of King Edward VIII, who reigned in 1936, was also celebrated on the actual date, June 23.

King George VI's birthday, which fell on December 14, was officially celebrated in the United Kingdom on a Thursday early in June. Up to 1947 Canada proclaimed the same day but in 1948 and further years settled on the Monday of the week in which the United Kingdom celebration took place. George VI reigned from 1936 to 1952. The first birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952, was also celebrated in June.

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.

So basically, when a new sovereign was on the throne "they" didn't want to change the date of the celebration, so instead would hold it on the previous sovereign's birthdate. Strange but true.