As the month of June ends and the beginning of July approaches, there’s at least one cultural celebration on the horizon that most Canadians are familiar with, bringing along with it a host of parades, events, concerts and celebrations to mark the day. But what Canada Day celebrators might not realize is that there are in fact a breadth of widely-celebrated Canadian cultural days alongside it at this time of year.
National Indigenous People’s Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, and even National Acadian day later on all mark a diversity of cultural celebrations worth highlighting, and all happen to take place right around the summer celebrations of July 1.
National Indigenous People’s Day (June 21)
Originally named National Aboriginal Day, and proclaimed in 1996, this celebrated day came as a result of a push to recognize the cultural and social history often forgotten and left behind within the mainstream. Calls from the Assembly of First Nations – known during these efforts as the National Indian Brotherhood – as well as the Sacred Assembly – a national conference of Indigenous chaired by Indigenous Oji-Cree Manitoba MLA Elijah Harper – spearheaded the creation of the day of recognition. In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement renaming the day to National Indigenous People’s Day, reflecting the change in popular terminology.
The date of June 21 is no coincidence either, as numerous Indigenous groups and communities have long celebrated their culture and heritage on or around that date, due to the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24)
Popular discussion the roots of la Saint-Jean often trace back to the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, a widely celebrated day among early French-Canadian settlers. But the tradition goes back even further, and once again, the mid-late June date of celebration is no accident. Summer solstice celebrations are once again the deeper origin for this celebration, among European Pagan traditions in this case. Over time, the Catholic Church of France adopted the tradition to become associated with John the Baptist.
But while in France the tradition is no longer as popular as it once was, it is still a widely celebrated statutory holiday in Quebec, and is celebrated by francophone cultures and communities throughout the country.
Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27)
Designated by the Canadian government in 2002, this day marks an opportunity to celebrate Canadian multiculturalism itself, serving as a chance to recognize the impact that all of Canada’s residents have on the country’s culture and society.
The day follows from a shift in the 1980’s moving towards a more distinct national appreciation of multiculturalism from the Canadian government, including the 1988 Canadian Multiculturalism Act affirming the promotion and preservation of the country’s diverse heritage.
National Acadian Day (August 15)
As a distinct ethnic group with a deep history in Canada, National Acadian Day looks to celebrate the unique heritage of Acadian people. The cultural group’s roots date back to a mix of First Nations and people and French, as a historical group of French settlers that were expelled from the Maritime Province by Great Britain in the mid-18th century.
As decades passed, many ethnic Acadians returned to their home, growing, developing and maintaining their culture to this day. The first national Acadian convention in 1881 earlier that summer designated August 15 as the chosen day of celebration to coincide with the Christian feast of Assumption of Mary.
In all, there are a number of other days beyond Canada Day which celebrate and recognize the cultural diversity and history of Canada and its inhabitants. Around this time of year, different groups will look to celebrate their own heritage, remembering and acknowledging how it fits in, or alongside, the broader story of Canada itself.
Source: Government of Canada
