Canada Day at home and abroad

Canada Day on Parliament Hill is a sea of happy Canadian pride. Photo: Lucy Martin

The other day I heard an oft-repeated statement in Canadian media to the effect of “well, you know Canadians. We don’t like to wave our own flag.”

I tend to disagree. Maybe that was true in decades past. But it’s been my experience that a lot of Canadians these days kind of go out of their way to wave the flag and get a maple leaf groove going – for Canada Day, anyway.

It could be the exuberance of youth or a pent up desire to make up for past self-effacement. But it seems to me that an increasing percentage of Canadians are channeling their own version of James Brown: “Say it loud! I’m Canadian and I’m proud!”.

If you have never experienced Canada Day on Parliament Hill, it’s quite something. A massive street party from morning to night with more to see and do than most two-legged revelers can manage in one day. (Here is street closure info from the Ottawa Citizen for anyone thinking about being in the area today.)

Canucks abroad who are tired of feeling lonely and missing out are doing something about that too, by way of something called Canada Day International. Here’s some stodgy-sounding verbiage about that from that organization’s website:

Over the past eight years more than 350,000 people have experienced Canada Day in London. On Saturday June 29, 2013, the inaugural Canada Day Festival in New York’s Central Park becomes the next location, on the expanding Canada Day International calendar of worldwide events. Four more cities will be added leading to Canada’s 150th Anniversary in 2017. The Sesquicentennial provides a unique and effective platform to raise international awareness of modern Canada and its future promise. Canada Day International benefits from new and longstanding government, community and corporate partnerships to achieve a shared vision.

OK, that is sort of yawn-inducing. I imagine the actual party is better.

Street hockey at Trafalgar Square Canada Day celebration in London. Photo: Wikipedia

London’s musical line up this year compares well to what’s on stage in Ottawa. Apparently, Trafalger Square gets The Tragically Hip, The Sheepdogs, Arkells, Jann Arden and Northern Cree.

Ottawa gets Metric, Carly Rae Jepsen, Marie-Mai and many more. Just-retired Canadian space hero Chris Hadfield will be there too. I suspect Hadfield may steal the show in terms of public appreciation, after winning so many fans with his tweets, photos and educational outreach during his recent command of the International Space Station. The dude can sing too, as can be heard in the clip that accompanies this tribute from NPR’s Scott Simon.

New York City is slated for its own Canada Day party this year, which I imagine will be fun, looking at the day’s program, NYC musical acts include Lights, Joel Paskett and Spirit of the West – a great band out of B.C. that I came to love even before Canada was a gleam in my eye.

Meanwhile, back here at home I am trying to pick between the happy crush in downtown Ottawa, a music stage in Oxford Mills, and/or fireworks right at home in North Gower. These are good choices to have!

For anyone who likes historic holidays that come with a quiz, here you go, courtesy of the Post Media News and the Historica-Dominion Institute. (It had some zingers, along with easy ones. I only got 15 out of 30. Hopefully you can do better!)

Happy Canada Day to all and an early Happy 4th of July from this dual-national, who enjoys both commemorations with measured pride.

What are your plans for celebrating Canada Day…or July 4th?