Talk:Victoria Day (Canada)

Newfoundland

It seems pretty arbitrary to refer to Newfoundland's spring in particular as "unpredictable." May Long in Alberta is often unpredictable, with snow, etc, as mentioned. I'm going to edit this to read "Canada's." AS a note, I'm from Alberta, I've heard this weekend referred to as May Long, the May Long weekend and May 2-4 (though the last less frequently).SKE 21:30, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

Sources and criteria for alternate names?

I've lived in southern Ontario my entire life, and I've never heard any of the alternate names for Victoria provided, except maybe referring to the weekend as the weekend of the 24th, but I have never considered it to be a proper name for the holiday or the weekend it falls on. Would it be possible to get some sources or usage examples for these names? As nicknames can be used as broadly as an entire country, or only by a small group of friends, is there some sort of criteria for when alternate names should be mentioned in an article? My thought is that some of these names have likely been provided only on the basis that the author has heard them used, but they may in fact be limited to a city, community, or even the author's particular social circle, while they are being broadly declared as being used across Central and Eastern Canada. --j0no 04:18, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

I agree. Born and Bred in Toronto, I have lived in Manitoba for the last ten years. At 43 years of age, I have never heard of Victoria Day being referred to as anything but Victoria Day. This is all likely a republican ploy. TrulyTory 14:19, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Well, throughout my life (born in TO as well) I've heard many various people, from all over Ontario, refer to Victoria Day as "May two-four." I can't, however, vouch for the others. --gbambino 15:59, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Anecdotal for sure, but I was born in Manitoba and have lived in Ontario for the past 25 years, the past 12 in near-northern cottage country, and at 50 years of age, I cannot recall when we did not call this holiday the May Two-Four (perhaps in my childhood, tho I think I called it "fireworks day") -- I don't think anyone expects Rex Murphy to say the phrase without a thick smack of sarcasm, but certainly from about the age of 17 and on everybody I've known has said May 2-4, even if they didn't really mean the beer package. all the neighbours up here expecting to serve the pilgrims call it the 2-4. Even my mother says May 2-4, and she's Nth generation rural Manitoban. -- garym 2 Jun 2006

I second your anecdote (haha); the May 2-4 is the one I hear most often in southern Ontario... although we generally understand it to have dual meaning -- FIRSLY a reference to the approximate dates ("on or before May 24"), and then jokingly as a reference to beer (contrary to what the article says). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.141.29.59 (talk) 01:49, 8 May 2007 (UTC).

May Two-Four, Port Burwell, Animal Olympics

There is a Annual Celebration in Port Burwell Ontario called the Animal Olympics. Teams compete in 8 games during the Victoria Day Long Weekend. Also referred to as the 'Party Animal' Olympics. It has been held since 1984 at a Campgrounds called Country Camping. It has become a right of passage and a badge of honour for those who win and compete in the games. The games change occasionally. There is a Tricycle Race, Obstacle Coarse, Change Race, Pussy Stampede, Tug-o-war and more.

The website is Country Camping, Port Burwell

Animal Olympics web page

--209.213.229.232 13:04, 14 September 2006 (UTC)Zoo Keeper

Official birthday "completely ignored"

This assertion is false:

The second time [the reigning Canadian Monarch has been in Canada for their official birthday] was when Queen Elizabeth II was in Canada from 17 May to 25 May 2005, to mark the centennials of the entries of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation, when the fact that it was her official birthday in Canada was completely ignored.

Personally, I was aware at the time that it was her official birthday. Thus, it was not completely ignored, because at least one person (me) did not ignore it. Granted, I cannot cite any reliable sources to back up my claim that I did not ignore the official birthday, but at the same time, I doubt there are any reliable sources to back up the claim that it was completely ignored. I've added the {{fact}} tag. --Miken2005 20:50, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

Shopping Centres are CLOSED on all Statutory holidays

Wikipedia repeatedly censors my comment on the Victoria Day page that this all shopping centres are closed. The fact is that they are indeed closed and if the wikipedia police checked their facts, they would not censor my input.

That fact is a given and it's redundant to say such. So what if shopping centers are closed on all statutory holidays. It isn't encyclopedic and really has not much to do with the holiday.--Kungfu Adam ^(talk) 16:03, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Furthermore, this description of a statutory holiday is covered in the article- Public holidays in Canada--Kungfu Adam ^(talk) 16:04, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

'ML' from Canada: I read the blurb about Canada taking Victoria Day seriously by closing its shopping centres and found it amusing. It aptly points out a fact while at the same time exposing some hilarity and absurdity. I am not complaining about statutory holidays in Canada, but I think that the reasons for some of them could be re-evaluated. The comment about closing shopping centres merely reflects an increasingly common Canadian sentiment (questioning holidays which relate to the Monarch) while remaining entirely factual. It was subtle (as most North American humour is not). Since I first began using Wikipedia, about 3 years ago, I have remained suspicious of its content because of the fact that it can be edited by anyone - which can be a good thing or a bad thing as certain people seek to police others. It is important to always question who is writing and why. As human beings, I think that it is impossible to be neutral (relating to Kant's theory of perception [[1]]) and it is a dangerous affair for anyone anywhere to put themselves out there as neutral. Therefore, I will never take Wikipedia seriously, nor will I ever be able to use it as a scholarly source when I am writing seriously. I see this forum as a place where one can reference quick facts and queries. But because I remain vigilant in what I give credibility to, I think that the removal of such a small statement of fact on this Victoria Day page reinforces my suspicion of Wikipedia. What drives people to such silly squabbles? Pride? The ability to assert one's ego in quiet, gentle ways? Using knowledge to prove one is smarter and more important? More powerful? I think it is better to just write a piece, open it with a statement about who is writing and why they are interested, and then put it out there unafraid of the simple fact that human beings are entirely not neutral and can never be unbiased. But then I suppose Wikipedia is not the forum for this as it tries, in a neo-positivist way (see philosophical issues of positivism [[2]]), to be the guardian of neutral and unbiased knowledge.

Memorial Day not coincidental

The article says Memorial Day coincides with Victoria Day much of the time. Actually, it never does. They can't coincide as long as Canada has its observance on the Monday prior to May 25. It's unfortunate that, even when May 24 is on a Sunday, Canada does not observe it the next day, May 25. The holiday is pulled back to May 18, in that case. If Canada marked it on the 25th, the two holidays would coincide.

Does anyone know if the 'Monday before the 25th' rule was written to intentionally make the coincidence impossible? It seems there is a preoccupied sensitivity in Canada to the U.S. (one not reciprocated) for some reason, even when it's unreasonable, as in this case. Yoho2001 (talk) 14:46, 19 May 2008 (UTC)