It's Canada 150, Baby!

[rusty_armour]

Happy Canada Day! Today marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation and Canada's 150th birthday!

This is one year when I know I can't stay home. As it's me, I'll be engaged in suitably nerdy activities. I'll be attending a lecture on Toronto history at 11:00 at St. Lawrence Hall and then I'll be going on Muddy York's two-hour Canada 150 history walk at 1:00. We'll end up at Nathan Phillips Square, so maybe I'll take in some of the festivities there, though I'm not really into crowds or partying. A huge shock, I know.

If I manage to snap any interesting pics, I'll post them here. In the mean time, here's an absurdly Canadian vid that celebrates Canada's 150:

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[grondfic]

Have a great Canada(150)Day; and Yays for any pics!

(and don't eat too much poutine, unless it's served with lobster!)

[rusty_armour]

Have a great Canada(150)Day; and Yays for any pics!

Thank you very much, grondfic! It's definitely been a great Canada Day! :-) I took a number of pics, so I'll definitely share some of them here.

(and don't eat too much poutine, unless it's served with lobster!)

No poutine, I'm afraid. The closest I got to poutine was a ham and cheese melt at Second Cup. Dinner is frozen pizza, so that's more cheese if not cheese curds. *g* I went out to lunch on Monday with my brother and had one fry from his poutine, so at least I had a taste of poutine in the week leading up to Canada Day. ;-)

[crimsoncorundum]

Sounds really interesting. You are so lucky that there are such interesting events on your national day. We only get a bit of flag waving and the singing of our national anthem. Of course the right wing extremists want people to dance traditional dances and wear special costumes that the farmers used to wear in the old days...

[rusty_armour]

Sounds really interesting. You are so lucky that there are such interesting events on your national day.

Well, as it's a special milestone, there are definitely more events (and more excitement) than usual. To be honest, I don't usually end up doing much of anything on Canada Day, but I hated the idea of not doing something for Canada 150.

We only get a bit of flag waving and the singing of our national anthem. Of course the right wing extremists want people to dance traditional dances and wear special costumes that the farmers used to wear in the old days...

I'm sorry that there isn't more done for Sweden's birthday. Maybe Canada makes more of a big deal of it because we're a much younger country. We also have a major identity crisis, so we probably look for excuses to be patriotic and wear the red and white. *g* Several years ago, I had a friend from the Netherlands staying with me during Canada Day and she couldn't understand the point of the Canada Day celebrations at all. She was crouched down and rummaging through her bag during the Canadian national anthem (when everyone else was standing). It really pissed me off, but she really didn't seem to understand. Apparently, no one stands when Holland's national anthem is played. Still, you think she would have noticed what was going on around her... *g*

[crimsoncorundum]

How odd about the Netherlands. Here in Sweden we'd definitely stand up for the national anthem.

[rusty_armour]

I've never actually checked if this is true, but it does seem odd. The Dutch people I know are fiercely patriotic. Hmm...

[crimsoncorundum]

Oh, I forgot. I think I've mentioned that my great-grandfather (on my mother's side) was in Canada for several years, building railroads. He wanted to settle there and built two cabins in Nova Scotia, but since his wife didn't want to come, he had to give up and go home again. I wonder what my life would have been like if I'd been born in Canada?

[rusty_armour]

Oh, wow! No, I don't think you did tell me that. Your great-grandfather played a very important role in Canadian history -- and in building the nation in general. Canada would not be the country it is today without the railroads. They literally united all parts of the country. We owe a lot to men like your great-grandfather. :-)

It's interesting to think what your life might have been like if you had been born in Canada. Of course, if your great-grandfather had stayed in Canada, you wouldn't have been born, so... *g*

[crimsoncorundum]

Yes, if my great-grandfather had stayed in Canada on his own, I wouldn't have been born, but maybe if his wife had agreed to bring the children to Nova Scotia. Of course I'd have been a different person because my grandparents probably wouldn't have met, or my parents.

[smallhobbit]

Happy Canada Day!

[rusty_armour]

Thank you very much, smallhobbit! :-)