So, without further rambling, Happy Canada Day!Note: The lovely image of a Maple Leaf shown here is copyright of Ron Day.
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy Canada Day
Since I am still in Deutschland, it would seem that I will be be missing the festivities and fireworks. Still, I think it is worth acknowledging the day that Queen Victoria (more likely the parliament, actually, but it sounds more romantic to say the monarch) changed the status of Canada from colony to dominion. Not that such a reclassification really changed much, as, like much Canadian history, our emancipation from Britain came gradually and with little fanfare. For example, it was not until after World War I that Canada gained independence in determining its foreign policy. So, while the history of my country's independence may be a little more complicated than simply the declaration on July 1st, 1867, that created, "one Dominion under the name of Canada", the day does serve as a suitable symbol. The fact that it lands in the middle of summer also helps to ensure it is a nice day to run around outside waving flags, painting maple leaves on one's skin, and doing all the other garishly patriotic things that sensible Canadians refrain from doing the rest of the year (except for wearing flags on our backpacks - that is a year-round thing).
So, without further rambling, Happy Canada Day!
Note: The lovely image of a Maple Leaf shown here is copyright of Ron Day.
So, without further rambling, Happy Canada Day!Note: The lovely image of a Maple Leaf shown here is copyright of Ron Day.
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3 comments:
Ah Canada, showing us Americans that sometimes, independence can be gained with words, and not violence.
Though, I think we have the more exciting independence story. Learning about Washington sneaking across the Delaware River to kill Hessian soldiers in their sleep sure is exciting!
Indeed, there was no shortage of my American peers who informed me that my country's history was utterly boring while I was going to school there. Of course, the majority of kids who told me that also didn't have a clue about their own history, so I didn't really worry too greatly about their opinions on the matter. That said, a balls-to-the-walls underdog story of defiance and revolution is always rousing.
Happy Canada Day!
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