honour the birthday of Queen Victoria. At the time, it was celebrated with parades, picnics, fireworks and sporting tournaments until the demise of Her Majesty in 1901. The following year, Canadians continued to celebrate the event, but this time, it was in honour of the Queen’s son and successor, King Edward VII, although his birthday is in the month of November. Subsequently, following the death of King Edward in 1910, May 24 was redirected to Queen Victoria, simply to drive the imperial message home.
Meanwhile, the day prior to Victoria Day was declared as Empire Day, a day on which children in schools would learn about the ideals of the British Empire. Many schools also began to celebrate the event with outdoor pageants in school yards and parks. As the school principals dismissed the pupils at the end of Empire Day, screams of delight filled the air, with the following day being a holiday, as students chimed with disrespectful glee: “No more teachers, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks!”
A century ago, British pride remained the dominant emotion, and therefore the Canadian identity…
