Recognizing holidays
29/09/24 02:55
Living where we do we are aware of not only the holidays that are a part of the calendar here in the United States, but also the cycle of Canadian National holidays. Our community is a place where people from both countries come to celebrate holidays, so the number of people in town on a particular weekend is affected by the cycles of holidays. Some occasions are celebrated in both countries. Labor Day is the same holiday in both places. Christmas and Easter are also shared holidays. Other holidays are unique to one country or another. In the Summer, for example, Canadians celebrate their national holiday on July 1 and we celebrate ours on July 4. Depending on which day of the week the days land, celebrations can include the same weekend, but also can land on two successive weekends. Since we can look across the water to Canada, we have the option of watching fireworks on July 1 and then getting a second show on July 4. In the spring, Canadians celebrate Victoria Day on the last Monday preceding May 25. Citizens of the United States observe Memorial Day on the last Monday of May. Most of the time, as was the case this year, those are two successive weekends. Victoria Day brings lots of cars with Canadian license plates to the beach cottages in our village. Memorial Day brings cars with plates from Washington, Oregon, and other US states.
There are also holidays that are celebrated in both countries, but the celebrations occur on different days. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. That will be October 14 this year. Our US celebration of Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November which will be November 28. The days are similar in how they are celebrated, with family dinners and prayer of gratitude.
Another holiday observed in both countries, but on different days, is Indigenous People’s Day. Canadians have two separate holidays. National Indigenous People’s Day in Canada is held on June 21. It is not a statutory holiday, and so it is a work day for federal employees. Many Canadians wear orange or red on that day as a sign of solidarity. In the fall, there is another Canadian recognition of native peoples. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is marked on the fourth Monday of September. It is a new holiday in Canada and is marked by the wearing of orange and with speakers, art displays, and other activities. This year many observances are focusing on the tragedies of children who were taken from their families and placed in residential schools. As more information about deaths that occurred in those schools is made available, the observance of the day will be somber.
Here in the United States, we honor and celebrate the history and culture of Indigenous Americans on the second Monday in October. The holiday was observed for many decades as Columbus Day. On the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas in 1992, some Americans chose not to celebrate the coming of Europeans to the continent, but rather recognize and celebrate the people and cultures that were here before the arrival of Columbus. South Dakota was the first state in the nation to officially change the name and focus of the holiday. It has observed Native Americans’ Day in October since 1990 when Governor George Mickelson’s proposal was adopted by the State Legislature.
If you have been following the dance of holidays in both countries, you might have noticed that the US Indigenous People’s Day is Canadian Thanksgiving. It can be a bit confusing if one is trying to keep track of all of the holidays and how they are recognized and celebrated. After a short time of living in a holiday community located on the border, however, the rhythm of celebrations and the people who come and go from the rental cottages in our town becomes natural.
In practical terms, Canadians who are recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by going to holiday homes, are in our town this weekend. Our area has been a place of fishing and gathering food from the sea by Coast Salish peoples since time immemorial. The Lummi People lived near the coast with Nooksack tribal members living nearby in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The present day Lummi Reservation is a short drive from our home on paved back roads, and a bit farther if one goes out to the Interstate Highway. It is also a short paddle down the coast from our bay to Lummi Bay. Ceremonial paddles of Coast Salish people come ashore in our bay from time to time, reminding us of the indigenous heritage of our place.
There are, of course many ways to observe holidays. Parades, ceremonies, and other public events are meaningful for some, while others prefer to observe holidays privately with family traditions and recognitions. A lot of people simply observe holidays as opportunities for recreation, and our community has been a recreational community for many decades. We notice holidays in both countries with an increase in traffic. Yesterday when I rode my bicycle around our area there were a lot more people out and about, walking along the beach, frequenting beach front restaurants and bars, and riding bikes and scooters. There was little about the folk that indicated any formal observance of Canadian National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. There were no boarding schools in our town. Indigenous children who were taken to boarding schools were taken away from here. So our town is not one of the places where storytelling and reconciliation ceremonies are being held. The folks in our town are mostly here for recreation on a long weekend with an extra day off from work on Monday for Canadians.
Most US citizens observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day in a similar fashion. Designated as a national day of learning about and celebrating indigenous tribes, people generally do not travel to reservations for their celebrations.
Whenever we give formal recognition to Indigenous People and however we learn of the cultures, languages, and communities that were here before settlers arrived, Autumn is a time to be grateful for the people who came before us and to remind ourselves to tread lightly on the land that we occupy only temporarily. Soon it will be the place of new generations. May they learn to live in peace in the beauty of this place.
There are also holidays that are celebrated in both countries, but the celebrations occur on different days. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. That will be October 14 this year. Our US celebration of Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November which will be November 28. The days are similar in how they are celebrated, with family dinners and prayer of gratitude.
Another holiday observed in both countries, but on different days, is Indigenous People’s Day. Canadians have two separate holidays. National Indigenous People’s Day in Canada is held on June 21. It is not a statutory holiday, and so it is a work day for federal employees. Many Canadians wear orange or red on that day as a sign of solidarity. In the fall, there is another Canadian recognition of native peoples. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is marked on the fourth Monday of September. It is a new holiday in Canada and is marked by the wearing of orange and with speakers, art displays, and other activities. This year many observances are focusing on the tragedies of children who were taken from their families and placed in residential schools. As more information about deaths that occurred in those schools is made available, the observance of the day will be somber.
Here in the United States, we honor and celebrate the history and culture of Indigenous Americans on the second Monday in October. The holiday was observed for many decades as Columbus Day. On the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas in 1992, some Americans chose not to celebrate the coming of Europeans to the continent, but rather recognize and celebrate the people and cultures that were here before the arrival of Columbus. South Dakota was the first state in the nation to officially change the name and focus of the holiday. It has observed Native Americans’ Day in October since 1990 when Governor George Mickelson’s proposal was adopted by the State Legislature.
If you have been following the dance of holidays in both countries, you might have noticed that the US Indigenous People’s Day is Canadian Thanksgiving. It can be a bit confusing if one is trying to keep track of all of the holidays and how they are recognized and celebrated. After a short time of living in a holiday community located on the border, however, the rhythm of celebrations and the people who come and go from the rental cottages in our town becomes natural.
In practical terms, Canadians who are recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by going to holiday homes, are in our town this weekend. Our area has been a place of fishing and gathering food from the sea by Coast Salish peoples since time immemorial. The Lummi People lived near the coast with Nooksack tribal members living nearby in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The present day Lummi Reservation is a short drive from our home on paved back roads, and a bit farther if one goes out to the Interstate Highway. It is also a short paddle down the coast from our bay to Lummi Bay. Ceremonial paddles of Coast Salish people come ashore in our bay from time to time, reminding us of the indigenous heritage of our place.
There are, of course many ways to observe holidays. Parades, ceremonies, and other public events are meaningful for some, while others prefer to observe holidays privately with family traditions and recognitions. A lot of people simply observe holidays as opportunities for recreation, and our community has been a recreational community for many decades. We notice holidays in both countries with an increase in traffic. Yesterday when I rode my bicycle around our area there were a lot more people out and about, walking along the beach, frequenting beach front restaurants and bars, and riding bikes and scooters. There was little about the folk that indicated any formal observance of Canadian National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. There were no boarding schools in our town. Indigenous children who were taken to boarding schools were taken away from here. So our town is not one of the places where storytelling and reconciliation ceremonies are being held. The folks in our town are mostly here for recreation on a long weekend with an extra day off from work on Monday for Canadians.
Most US citizens observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day in a similar fashion. Designated as a national day of learning about and celebrating indigenous tribes, people generally do not travel to reservations for their celebrations.
Whenever we give formal recognition to Indigenous People and however we learn of the cultures, languages, and communities that were here before settlers arrived, Autumn is a time to be grateful for the people who came before us and to remind ourselves to tread lightly on the land that we occupy only temporarily. Soon it will be the place of new generations. May they learn to live in peace in the beauty of this place.
