Happy'?' Natal Day.
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.