Monday 3 August 2015

Day 2 - 214 -- Natal Day Civic Holiday

The 120th Natal Day celebration was held this long weekend in Halifax-Dartmouth. Many events occur in the Halifax Regional Municipality -- classical music in Halifax Garden, fireworks, road race, busker festival and outdoor concerts. I will admit to not having experienced these events, nor are there many local events for this day. We do have local outdoor music concerts and art and culture events on Main Street throughout the summer. Given the intense heat today (88F with feel like of 95F at supper time), it is a great day for the beach or hiding indoors with fans and a/c <smile>.

Other provinces have a civic holiday occurring on the first Monday of August -- only Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island celebrate Natal Day. In Newfoundland and Labrador it is termed Regatta Day. The day is called Saskatchewan Day in SK, with similar eponymous titles for British Columbia and New Brunswick. Alberta celebrates Heritage Day, while several cities in Ontario name the day after local historical figures. It is often thought of as the final long weekend of the summer. Labour Day often occurs after or just at the beginning of the school year. Here, we traditionally begin classes right after Labour Day, so that holiday is often filled with preparations for classes the next morning.

I have lived here for 17 years (in another week and a half). Prior to moving here for work, I had visited on two family vacations -- one in high school and the other when I was an undergraduate at university. It is an amazing part of the country and the world. Tourism is a major industry. I've chosen a song by a Nova Scotian singer/songwriter that describes the province and what people love about it. The video covers the province reasonably well and even has a great shot of a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever <smile>.  The line about walking 'through her soul' may not occur as much as it once did since collieries have been shut down. If you haven't yet visited this gem of the Atlantic, make plans. If you've been here already, make plans to return. You won't regret this -- summer into fall are the best times to visit and view the grandeur. If you choose to visit in the winter, I could always use help shovelling <smile>.Enjoy!

She's Called Nova Scotia -- Rita MacNeil


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