Holidays List in Canada 2024 | Canada Holiday 2024 | Holiday in Canada 2024

Canada is a country that boasts a lot of holidays. All holidays here are conventionally divided into: generally recognized world celebrations and national holidays in Canada, which are celebrated only by Canadians.

 Holidays List in Canada 2024

Popular Canadian Holidays

Now let’s talk in detail about the most popular holidays that are celebrated in Canada.

January 1st / New Year Day

New Year’s Eve in Canada begins on the evening of December 31st, and unlike the busy Christmas, it is more relaxed and quiet. Canadians love to celebrate the New Year at the table, as well as on the street, with friends and acquaintances, or at fun friendly parties.

February 14 / Valentine’s Day

On Valentine’s Day, residents of Quebec and Alberta tend to spend most of all, and they most often buy flowers. Ontarians are more likely to buy jewelry, while British Columbians are more likely to buy candy. Incredibly, Valentine’s Day still has a magical effect on singles – up to 54% of single Canadians hope to meet their soul mate on February 14th!

In Canada, on Valentine’s Day, it is customary to give “valentines” not only to people, but also to animals. For example, the Vancouver Zoo invites everyone with “valentines” to their pets. All children under 12 who have brought at least one Valentine’s card will be able to visit the zoo for free.

February 21 (2024) / Day of the Family ( the Family Day)

Family Day is celebrated in Canada on the third Monday in February. In provinces such as Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, this day is an official holiday.

This holiday was first established in the province of Alberta in 1990, in order to remind residents of family values ​​and give parents more free time to communicate with their children.

On this day, all kinds of events are held, interesting for both children of all ages and their parents. There are exhibitions and films for families to watch, and family competitions are organized in parks. Many museums on Family Day can be visited for free, and almost all cultural institutions, stadiums and skating rinks have reduced entrance ticket prices.

March 17 / St. Patrick’s Day

This religious and cultural holiday came to Canada from Ireland. This holiday is dedicated to travelers, travelers and wanderers.

On this day, special songs are sung and Irish dances are danced – for example, an Irish jig to the sounds of a village violin or bagpipes. Dress in all green.

In the Canadian province of Newfoundland, St. Patrick’s Day is a day off and is celebrated on the Monday closest to March 17.

Easter

As in the rest of the world, the date of this holiday changes from year to year. This is one of the main holidays in the country.

Easter in Canada is not only a church holiday for believers: it is a truly nationwide and very beautiful holiday, for which, like Christmas, Canadians begin to prepare long before its arrival.

In Canada, the Easter Bunny is the most common symbol of the Resurrection of Christ.

June 21 / Day of Indigenous people in Canada ( National Aboriginal Day )

On June 21, the country celebrates a holiday that should remind the majority of the population of the First Nations. They chose this day because for several generations the indigenous people celebrated the days of their culture and heritage on this day, it is also the day of the summer solstice – the longest day of the year.

On this day, Canadians go out into the countryside and arrange numerous barbecues. The same day is considered the beginning of summer in Canada.

1 July / Canada Day ( Canada Day )

This is the main public holiday established in honor of the unification of all the North American colonies of Britain into a single dominion of Canada (formerly called Dominion Day) under the British North America Act, which came into force on July 1, 1867.

Canadians celebrate their country’s birthday with great enthusiasm. Many thousands of people take part in the festivities on Parliament Hill in the capital Ottawa.

Lots of fireworks and parades, all kinds of festivals and entertainment – these are all essential attributes of Canada Day. Members of the British royal family must be present at the ceremonies.

October / Thanksgiving’s Day 

Thanksgiving Day in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October.

Canadians, unlike Americans, initially thanked God for the recovery of the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII.

For a long time, Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a definite direction of universal gratitude to Canadians: in different years and at different times, Canadians expressed gratitude either for a bountiful harvest, or for what was prescribed by a special annual decree. In 1931, a streamlined formulation was finally developed: “general gratitude to the almighty Lord for the mercies with which he rewards the people of Canada.”

On this day, Canadians have turkey, apple cider and pumpkin pie on the table.

October 31 / Halloween

This ancient Celtic holiday has taken root very well in Canada. All residents are very responsible in preparing for Halloween. In advance, Canadians begin to decorate courtyards, fences, windows, shop windows and everything that can be decorated with the main attributes of the “terrible holiday”.

In the evening, all the fun begins. Children dressed up in Halloween costumes walk around the neighborhood knocking on the door and collecting sweets. Young people throw theme parties and have fun until the morning.

November 11 / Remembrance Day

Every year on the 11th of the 11th of the month at 11 o’clock in the afternoon, all of Canada stops the usual activities and falls silent for two minutes. In these two minutes of silence, Canadians pay tribute to the memory of their compatriots who gave their lives in the battles for the bright future of the nation.

Traditionally, on Memorial Day, a poppy flower is pinned to the chest.

December 25 / Christmas

In Canada, the favorite holiday is Christmas, preparations for which have been underway since the end of October, when shop windows begin to lure gift buyers with Christmas decorations, the branches of street trees are decorated with merry lights, snow and ice figures, castles and palaces grow on squares, and on the doors of houses traditional Christmas wreaths are hung.

Not a single person is left unattended at Christmas: even those who live far away receive gifts or congratulations in the mail. It is for Christmas that they prepare in advance, buy gifts and come up with a menu.

December 26 / Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated in the UK and several countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations, including Canada, the day after Christmas.

Gigantic store sales have become its hallmark these days. It is on Boxing Day that you can buy the item you like with a pleasant discount.

Unusual Holidays in Canada

February 2 / Groundhog Day

This traditional Canadian (and US) holiday is celebrated on February 2. On Groundhog Day, residents of the country give all responsibility for the onset of spring to the groundhog – according to his behavior, Canadians understand how long to wait for warm days.

If the marmot does not see its shadow, then calmly comes out of the hole – spring will come soon! If he sees his shadow and hides back, then the winter will last another 6 weeks.

Such prophet marmots can be found in many cities in Canada. For this day, the townspeople arrange whole festivals that gather a lot of spectators.

May 23 in 2024 / Victoria Day

An unusual Canadian celebration – Victoria Day.

Annually, on the last Monday before May 25, the birth of the main queen of Canada, Victoria, is celebrated. The government arranges a celebration, fireworks in honor of the beloved Queen Victoria, who played an important role in the history of the country’s formation.

August 1, 2024 / Terry Fox Day

Terry Fox’s story is a story of fighting his own disease to the very end. He had only 22 years left to declare himself to the whole world.

At the age of 19, he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor and his leg was amputated. A few years later, he attempted an east-west ultramarathon across Canada to raise donations for cancer research.

Terry Fox began his “Marathon of Hope” on April 12, 1980 from the Newfoundland capital of St. John’s, symbolically dipping his foot into the Atlantic Ocean before the start. He intended to do the same by running all over Canada from east to west and dipping his foot in the Pacific Ocean.

On September 1, 1980, he was forced to stop his marathon, running almost 5,400 km – about a third of the way – before the disease, as it progressed, spread to the lungs.

On June 28, 1981, Terry Fox passed away, raising $ 24 million for cancer research, one dollar for every Canadian at the time.