This holiday always confused me. It is really a fucked up holiday that no one here seems to understand. It is a civic holiday and we assume it has something to do with the Navy. I know that it hasn't always been a holiday here, but for the life of me I can't remember why. I can tell you that I, personally, embrace it only because we observe it at work and I get double time and a half for being there, so HAPPY NATAL DAY!Since I am sitting here doing nothing but having my morning coffee, I thought I would investigate Natal Day. Simple right? This is the information highway, I shouldn't have to wonder about anything on this earth, I have Google. Not as simple as I thought it would be.
Today’s Natal Day festivities sprang from humble beginnings more than a century ago, when it was just a single city celebration held in Dartmouth in 1895.
By the mid-1970s, the event had evolved into a local-municipal holiday for both Halifax and Dartmouth.
Doesn't tell me much, so I move on.
All Wikipedia has under Public holidays in Canada is : Natal Day - First Monday in August is not a statutory holiday but a common day off. No mention on the why? Did someone just make this shit up and sell it to the masses?
Google defines natal as - birthday: the date on which a person was born
Ok, getting closer...
Natal Day is the annual birthday celebration of the communities of Halifax and Dartmouth. It is a time where citizens, former citizens, guests and tourists celebrate our civic holiday.
So, I guess it has nothing to do with the Navy. And I am not sure why the rest of the Maritimes gives a flying fuck about the birthday of Halifax and Dartmouth other than the fact that Halifax is the capitol of the province.
Someone, somewhere was just pissed that Halifax/Dartmouth got an extra paid holiday so I guess they had to give it to the rest of the province too.
That just goes to prove that in the Maritimes, we will do anything for a long weekend party.
6 comments:
Aug "civic holiday" is just that a civic holiday without meaning - a reason for a long weekend - it was a 'some' not 'all' and every area/provice/city calls it something else. In NS it's Natal. But it WAS only Halifax and Darthmouth when I lived in NS. My Dad can tell you much more about it.. if you're in the mood for a "story time with the old guy" :o) Otherwise .. you have it right.. just embrase the monent!
http://www.canada-city.ca/holiday.php?day=4
So was yesterday pre-Natal day?
haha ... sounds perfect. isn't that what public holidays are all about?
how about i tell you about what happened here in jamaica when the reggae boys made it through to world cup finals. yep - you guessed it. the prime minister declared the next working day a holiday.
what's odder is that i have been asked since that (1998 that was?) why wasn't it made into an official annual holiday.
"uh... cos the reggae boys only got thru to finals once? i dunno." *shrug*
Hey, Tomorrow stole my witty one liner! (tee hee)
We just had B.C. day, long weekend. I too, don't know what we celebrate on BC day, but hey, I guess they just threw these holidays in to keep up with the joneses, eh?(rest of canada gets extra days off, bc will have to as well)
Haven't seen you around lately, hope you're good :-)
michelle
It's been 5 days... I'm suffering withdrawal here!! Need more Evel!
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