How do Canadians celebrate and commemorate our past?

Abstract

The bicentennial of the war of 1812 kicked off a wave of commemoration fever in Canada.We are currently in the midst of the commemorations of the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown and Quebec conferences, and the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.Next year will see a host of events marking 200 years since the birth of Sir John A. MacDonald. In addition to these major anniversary commemorations, Canadians routinely celebrate major “national holidays” including Canada Day (July 1st), Quebec’s Fête Nationale (or St. Jean Baptiste Day elsewhere in Canada, on June 24th), National Aboriginal Day (June 21st), and National Acadian Day (August 15th).