The weather. My God, it’s all around us.
It’s always about the weather. It’s our first topic of conversation. The stock market may be plummeting, your wrestling team may be failing, and the dwindling supply of sidewalk cafés is alarming, but nothing matters as much as when the sun will come out and the rain/snow/hail/wind/sleet will stop. We don’t care what the metric numerical system says, all we want to know is whether it feels warm or cold.
If it wasn’t for weather, there would be no one abundantly well qualified to dominate where talking was concerned. It’s also a way of giving less articulate people and those who tend to disguise their feelings, a voice to express their love and affection.
And some types of weather are more useful than others. Take this weekend, for instance. Our first long holiday/gardening weekend.
“May 24 was, back in 1819, the day Queen Victoria was born. Early Canadians, for reasons of their own, perhaps because they were Victorians, decided that the day should be a holiday. Later Canadians, noting the invention of the long weekend, decided that something around May 24 would be nice.” – Charles Gordon, At The Cottage
By the way, Queen Alexandrine Victoria never ever set foot in Canada. You’d think in her ponderous 63-year reign, she could have found a minute or two to show up at least once. Granted, she was the first to test out the pain-minimizing effects of chloroform during childbirth, and appointed a couple of senators, probably not at the same time.
Yes, “May Long Weekend” is a cherished opportunity to reflect on the contributions and achievements of iconic Queen Victoria, as well as the impact on employers in terms of freed inmates, and the chance to boost team morale in terms of an extra day off.
Canada (except Nova Scotia and Quebec), is the only country that commemorates Queen Victoria with an official holiday (except in parts of Scotland). Even the British don’t celebrate Queen Victoria.
So why do we?
A 2015 survey of 1,000 people by Canadian website Ancestry.ca said they had no idea. Sleeping in and crispy waffles? Probably and mostly, because we’ve done it since 1901.
We’ve been housebound for months. We’ve ironed all of our curtains, alphabetized our spice rack, and reprogrammed our microwave to military time. The penultimate Monday of May, the cornerstone of Canadian heritage, marks of the end of the winter “social” season and the unofficial start of summer.
Summer?
Right. We haven’t even seen spring yet — for the most part, it’s a season Calgarians only read about.
Gardeners regard Victoria Day as the beginning of sowing season, as it falls at a time when one cannot be certain that frost advisories will not be issued until fall. It’s still too early for strawberries and ice cream, but for us who live quite near the North Pole—it’s a significant occasion, embraced with much enthusiasm.
No, most of us don’t spend the day-long fête crafting miniature sculptures of Queen Victoria out of sand, playing cricket, or a twenty-one gun salute, but instead, display our loyalty with a change in fashion with lighter-coloured athletic wear and reunite with our families for the first time since the winter holidays.
Victoria Day is also lovingly referred to as “May Two-Four”, the number referring to a case of beer (although there seems to be no hard data on the amount of beer consumed from sea to shining sea on this weekend), as well as playing traditional games such as three-legged races, potato sack races, and my favourite, “chasing greased pigs”.
If you can’t be in Canada celebrating monarchy, heritage, and national unity with your loved ones this weekend, you can help them celebrate via Western Union Canada’s app which can send money to more than 200 countries and territories fast and easily. Or an expensive flower arrangement.
In case you were wondering, Queen Victoria’s favourite flower was the humble violet.
As for me, I’m just going to focus on myself. Maybe learn about mushrooms—really use the time I have out here in the woods alone, hiding from the invaders. Or just cut some spruce boughs to decorate my living room when I get home.
Strong and free!
Three cheers for Victoria Day!
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