Easter

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday and it is a federal statutory holiday across Canada.

It’s a complicated but precise foruma that determines the day Easter Sunday is celebrated: It is the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring (after March 21st) which can occur as early March 22 and as late as April 25.

Good Friday marks the death of Jesus Christ according to the Christian religion. It is a fundamental part of Christianity along with the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. Many agree that this is a more important holiday than Christmas since it is the ultimate proof that Jesus is the son of God because he came back from death.

In provinces where Family Day, Islander Day and Louis Riel Day are not observed Good Friday is the first stat holiday after New Years Day.

In Quebec employers can choose to give the day off either on Good Friday or Easter Monday.

Bunnies & eggs

Easter is a highly commercialized holiday when tons of chocholate is sold in the form of easter eggs and easter bunnies. The Easter Bunny brings a basket full of goodies to children for Easter. Sometimes the gifts are hidden so children have to look for them – this is called an egghunt.

Rabbits and eggs are symbols of fertility and were first mentioned in German literature as early as the 1600s.

Family Day

Family Day is not a national statutory holiday, it is only observed in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and as of 2013 also in British Columbia. Two other provinces have holidays in February: In PEI Islander Day (new since 2009) is celebrated on the 3rd Monday in February and in Manitoba the 3rd Monday in February is the Louis Riel Day holiday.

Since this is not a federally established holiday all federal workers work on Family day including post office employees and public servants.

Family Day was originally created to give people time to spend with their families but it also provides a day off between New Years Day and Good Friday as they are approximately three months apart.

As mentioned above, unfortunately, not everyone gets Family Day off, which makes it a debatable holiday in many provinces. Why can’t the whole country simple agree on 9 or 10 common statutory holidays remains a mystery and a good indicator of just how overcomplicated our laws are.

Common Family Day activities include skating, playing hockey, snowboarding/skiing and going to various winter festivals. But the best best thing about of Family Day must be beaver tails and stuffing ourselves silly with pancakes with maple syrup!

New Year’s Day

What do people do?

Many people start January 1 at parties to welcome the New Year on the evening of December 31. Many parties are at people’s homes or in bars and clubs. However, in some rural areas, particularly in the province of Quebec, some people spend the night ice fishing with groups of friends. Many New Year’s Eve parties continue into the early hours of January 1, so some people may spend most of the first day of the year recovering from the celebrations. Others take the opportunity to enjoy some time in the wintry Canadian landscape or to return home from their Christmas vacation.

Public life

January 1 is a statutory holiday in all Canadian provinces and territories and if this date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the statutory holiday moves to Monday January 2 or 3. Schools, post offices and many businesses and organizations are closed. In some areas, stores are closed, although this varies between provinces and even municipalities. Many public transport systems are shut down or offer a reduced service. January 2 is also of public holiday in the province of Quebec.

Background

In Canada, the Gregorian calendar is used. This calendar was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII and was gradually accepted in many parts of western Europe in the following decades and centuries. The Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian Calendar, introduced by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar in 46 BCE. The Julian calendar was replaced because it introduced too many leap days, thus increasing the number of days between the vernal equinox of March 21, its scheduled date as noted in 325 CE during the Council of Nicaea. The introduction of the Gregorian calendar allowed for realignment with the equinox.

The last day in the Gregorian calendar is December 31 and the first day is January 1. Canadians celebrate these two days as New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The New Year’s celebrations have roots in ancient celebrations of the winter solstice, both in Europe and by First Nation peoples in what is now Canada.

Symbols

An important symbol of New Year’s Day is the fireworks that are set off to mark the beginning of the New Year at midnight as December 31 becomes January. There are particularly spectacular shows in many major cities, including Toronto. The Toronto fireworks display is a large public performance that is accompanied by music.

Canadian holiday