Canada Day 2024 Edition

By glenmckenzie(justabitfurther) on July 1, 2024

Well, it's July 1st and here in the great white north, which is a bit of a misnomer given the past few days the temperatures have been from the mid-20 degrees C.

Nevertheless, regardless of where you might find yourself today across the country, just about every community small or large is having some sort of Canada Day celebration.

Pretty much the standard go of it in most locales is games; music; cake; food; drinks; more music; more food; and often a parade of sorts; plus.....things for the little ones and things for the bigger ones. All more often than not, topped off by a fireworks display at night.

Now, depending on where you live the end-of-day fireworks might be undertaken by a professional fireworks/pyrotechnic company....or if you're in a smaller town or village, it could be the local volunteer fire department. Or some liquored-up folks a couple of houses down the road.

Guess it really doesn't matter as long as ya got some fireworks exploding overhead on a clear moonless night.

And it goes without saying, there will most definitely be a lot, and I mean a lot of red and white worn today.

So, it is a great day to celebrate all that is good/great in our country.

Are we perfect?....far from it.

Is there plenty to bitch and complain about....you'd be surprised how gullible some folks are. Apparently, there is.

But, let's not dwell on the small minority who seem to f@ck things up and take what should be a good thing and make it into something "not so good."

There is more to celebrate about what is good and great about Canada.

Now, for those of you who unfortunately ARE NOT CANADIAN doesn't mean we'll leave you out. No way - we want you to be part of this celebration too. Imagine being from another country and on a family vacation here on Canada Day - you'll soon be starting to think about staying for good. Until it's winter and -40 C ....this is when folks start to rethink that decision.

Nevertheless, we're a pretty inclusive bunch here.

Just don't "dis" hockey, Tim Hortons, poutine or universal free health care and all will be good. Oh, and beer as well.

Moving on, the first Canada Day was celebrated on July 1, 1867, when Canada officially became....well, Canada.

Back then it was called "Dominion Day"(how very British of us) and continued to be called that until 1982 when the name was changed to "Canada Day."

A Few Exceedingly Unique Canadian Things

Canada consumes more mac and cheese than any other country in the world. In fact, if you say "having KD for dinner", most Canadians and all university students would know what you're having
Around 90% of Canada is uninhabited…..largely because up to 30% of Canada is covered in trees and thick forest
Over the years, Canada has been invaded twice by Americans - in 1775 and again in 1812 - they lost both times. Interestingly, after spanking the Americans in the War of 1812, we marched down and burned the White House. We told them that if they attacked the city of York(now Toronto) again, we would be pissed. They never listen. Also, they never did it again!
Our national symbol is the beaver - a beaver? ...you're kidding right - nope........ a beaver.
Although the beaver is our national symbol, you can order what is known as a "beavertail." A "deep-fried flattened dough thing," usually smothered in chocolate sauce, icing sugar or both. You can usually feel your arteries hardening as you consume one
When it gets close to Christmas, you can write a letter in any language and send it to the North Pole, H0H 0H0 Canada and you will receive a letter back from Santa - yup it's true!!
Speaking of Santa, Santa was declared a Canadian citizen back in 2012 by then Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Hence, that's why Santa wears a red and white suit.
Churchill, Manitoba is the polar bear capital of the world. Residents who live there leave their cars and homes unlocked in case they or a visitor need a quick escape from a wandering polar bear
Canadians love to talk about the weather more than anyone else in the world. A study showed that in comparison to the averages of 160 countries, Canadian media ran 229% more weather stories than anywhere else. Well, at least it's a cheap hobby
Toronto is the most multicultural and diverse city in the world. It boasts 200 ethnic groups with over 140 languages spoken. And also features dozens of international neighborhoods to check out and explore. Pretty cool - right?
Our money can be confusing
First, of all the "bills" are colourful, to say the least.
Our $1 coin is known as a "loonie." Don't ask to borrow a dollar coin. No one here will have any idea what you're talking about.
Our $2 coin is referred to as a "toonie." Which is simply a "loonie" multiplied by two.
Hockey is our NATIONAL SPORT. We often shut the country down if there is an important game being played.
We have universal free health care - so there! (We can thank actor Keifer Sutherland's grandfather(Tommy Douglas) who was the architect for universal free healthcare in Canada - yes --- Keifer Sutherland is Canadian, as well as Donald Sutherland(who recently passed away)- a proud Canadian who is Keifer's Dad)
Big on maple syrup - approximately 71% of the world's maple syrup comes from Canada, and of that 91% comes from Quebec alone
"Eh" is recognized as a word in the Oxford English Dictionary. Canadians like to finish most sentences with the word "eh"
35 to 50 percent of music broadcast in Canada, must be Canadian.
A 2-4 (two-four) is a case of beer that has 24 cans or bottles. If you just say, "heading out to pick up a 2-4 for the game tonight", we know what it means. We don't need any further details.
Although we measure distances in kilometres(we went metric back in the 1970s), we never would say 85 kilometres. What we will say is, "It's 85 klicks to the "Big Smoke"(Toronto)."
Having said the point above, we always refer to weight in pounds. We would never say, "Went to the Doctor, I weigh 68 kilograms." What we would say is, "Went to the Doctor, I weigh 150 pounds."
What could be considered Canada's national dish, might vary from one part of the country to another, but Poutine, originally from the Province of Quebec is certainly near the top of the list. A mixture of French Fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Again, another artery hardener.
the list goes on and on…….

So, get your "red and white" on later today; head on down to where the fun, fun, fun is happening, and take in and thoroughly enjoy all that being Canadian is about.

--as always with love--

--- get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself ---