My Science School

Canada Day

Canada has a birthday on July 1. It’s Canada Day. People across Canada celebrate this national holiday with parades, fireworks, and other festivities.

Canada was once part of Great Britain. In time, it formed its own government. This new nation remained loyal to Britain.

On July 1, 1867, the British government approved the plan to make Canada an independent country. It was called the Dominion of Canada. The new country had only 4 provinces. Now Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. Canada no longer calls itself a dominion, so July 1 is now Canada Day instead of its former name, Dominion Day.

The British North America Act came into effect on 1 July 1867, creating the country of Canada with its initial four provinces of Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In June 1868, Governor General Charles Stanley Monck called for a celebration of the anniversary of Confederation on 1 July 1868. While several communities did organize celebrations on this day, the legal status of Dominion Day as a public holiday was uncertain. In May 1869, a bill to make Dominion Day a public holiday was debated in the House of Commons, but it was withdrawn after several members of Parliament voiced objections. A more successful effort, sponsored by Senator Robert Carrall of British Columbia, passed through Parliament in 1879, making Dominion Day a public holiday.

In the decades following the Second World War, several private members’ and government-sponsored bills were proposed to change the name of Dominion Day, but none succeeded. In July 1982, a private member’s bill to change the name to Canada Day was proposed by Vaudreuil MP Hal Herbert. The bill quickly passed through the House of Commons, and was ratified by the Senate in the fall.

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Highland Games

Bagpipes sound and drums thunder. Men and women in tartan kilts perform traditional Scottish dances. All around are contests of athletics and strength. It’s the Highland Games, traditional Scottish contests of athletics, dancing, and music.

Highland games have been a part of Scotland's culture for hundreds of years and are just as popular today as they've ever been. And it's no wonder when you experience the sense of community, heritage and celebration at each of Scotland's Highland games.

Every Highland games event has a unique character and traditions, and many are held in simply stunning locations. Make new friends with the locals and other visitors as you enjoy our Scottish hospitality and watch a gripping sporting spectacle of champions, with dancing, music, and more.

Highland games are events held in spring and summer in Scotland and other countries with a large Scottish Diaspora, as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture, especially that of the Scottish Highlands Games. Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt, and the heavy events, especially the caber toss. While centered on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic cultures.

There are races, jumping contests, and more. One of the unusual events at the games is the caber-throwing contest. A caber looks a bit like a short telegraph pole. This game is a test of strength.

Highland games were first held in the rugged Highlands of northern Scotland. Today, they are held at different times in Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S.A.

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The Month of July

July is the seventh month of the year. The Romans named this month Julius, in honour of Julius Caesar.

In most countries in the Northern Hemisphere, July is usually the hottest month of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, July is one of the winter months. Except for cold Antarctica and the cold rainy part of South America, the climate during July is mild in most countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

Interestingly, July seems to be the month dedicated to freedom, independence, and celebrations of country and culture.

July 1 is Canada Day, a Canadian federal holiday that celebrates the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867. 

July 4 is Independence Day (U.S.). On the fourth of July, we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Don’t forget to raise the flag! See our full and enjoy trivia—plus, refresh your memory on the real meaning of this day.

July 14 is Bastille Day which commemorates the storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution. 

Midsummer Day

Long ago, people in Europe worshipped the sun. So the return of summer was a time of great rejoicing. The people lit bonfires - symbols of the sun - and celebrated all night and into the next day.

This time was known as Midsummer Eve (June 23) and Midsummer Day (June 24). This, of course, is not midsummer. In the Northern Hemisphere, summer begins on June 20, 21, or 22, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky.

Years ago, the early Christian Church chose Midsummer Day as the birth date of John the Baptist, who is a great Christian saint.

People in many Christian countries have celebrated St. John’s Day for hundreds of years. These celebrations are a curious mixture of old and new customs. There are bonfires, but these are now called St. John’s Fire. And, of course, there is a great deal of merrymaking.

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Flag Day

On Flag Day in Sweden, June 6, the Swedes remember the day in 1523 when Gustavus I became king and Sweden became an independent country. Before then, Sweden was part of a group of countries ruled by the king and queen of Denmark. Sweden was part of this group for many years. But some people were not happy under Danish rulers. Gustavus was one of them. He joined the fight for independence from Denmark when he was only 18 years old. Sweden won its independence, and the happy Swedes elected Gustavus as their king.

Today, Swedes celebrate the day with parades. Many people fly the country’s flag outside their home. The king and queen of Sweden also give flags to schools, sports clubs, and other groups in a special ceremony.

There are other flag days in June. The U.S.A. celebrates Flag Day on June 14. Finland’s Flag Day is the Saturday closest to June 24.

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Father’s Day

People all over the world find different ways to show fathers their love and respect. Father’s Day is a special day set aside to honour fathers.

Father's Day is a celebration that honors the role of fathers and forefathers. It is a modern holiday, though the ancient Romans did have a tradition of honouring fathers, every February, but only those who had deceased.

Around the world, Father's Day is celebrated on different dates, though the day is celebrated in a similar manner, usually involving giving gifts to fathers and family activities.

In some countries, children make gifts for their fathers for Father’s Day. Many people send cards that express their love. People also like to take their fathers to shows or sports events they enjoy on that day. Sometimes on Father’s Day, children help out their fathers in special ways, such as by doing extra chores.

Children in Serbia, a country in Eastern Europe, tease their dads on Father’s Day. They tie him in bed and tease him until they get coins and treats.

Grandfathers are honoured on Father’s Day, too. Many people make a point to visit their grandfathers on this day.

Father’s Day is celebrated in June in the U.S.A., Canada, and the United Kingdom. People in Australia honour their fathers during September. In Serbia, people celebrate Father’s Day on the Sunday before Christmas.

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Shavuot - Day of the Commandments

Shavuot is one of the great Jewish festivals. Jewish people celebrate it as the day that God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, the Jewish leader, on Mount Sinai.

Shavuot is the Hebrew word for “weeks”. This festival is also called Feast of Weeks because it comes seven weeks after the first day of Passover.

Long ago, Shavuot was also a harvest festival. It was the time when Jews made a journey to Jerusalem to make offerings at the Temple in thanks for their crops. After the Romans destroyed the Temple, Shavuot became a time to celebrate the gift of the Ten Commandments.

Today, the festival of Shavuot is the time when some Jews celebrate the confirmation of children. Jewish boys are confirmed when they reach the age of 13. Girls are confirmed at the age of 12. The ceremony of confirmation is called bar mitzvah for boys and bat mitzvah for girls. The name means son (or daughter) of the commandment.

The holiday of Shavuot is a two-day holiday, beginning at sundown of the 5th of Sivan and lasting until nightfall of the 7th of Sivan (May 28–30, 2020). In Israel it is a one-day holiday, ending at nightfall of the 6th of Sivan.

The word Shavuot (or Shavuos) means “weeks.” It celebrates the completion of the seven-week Omer counting period between Passover and Shavuot.

The Torah was given by G?d to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai on Shavuot more than 3,300 years ago. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot we renew our acceptance of G?d’s gift, and G?d “re-gives” the Torah.

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Dragon Boat Festival

Gongs, drums, and horns urge rowers in racing boats to go faster. The rowers in each boat follow the rhythm of their drummer. As the drums beat faster, the boats skim over the water like racing dragons in honour of a poet who died long ago.

The poet was Qu Yuan. More than 2,000 years ago, Qu Yuan fell into a river. When people saw what had happened, they put their boats into the water and raced to rescue him. But his body was never found. Ever since Qu Yuan disappeared, the Chinese have remembered the race to find him with the Dragon Boat Festival.

The big event of the festival is a colourful boat race. Each boat is painted like a dragon.

Chinese people throughout Asia and in other parts of the world enjoy the Dragon Boat Festival every summer. This celebration comes in the month of the fifth moon on the Chinese calendar - between May 28 and June 28.

Today’s celebrations symbolize the vain attempts of the friends and citizens who raced down the river to save the respected Chu Yuan. There are half a dozen sites in Hong Kong today that participate in the dragon boat races.

A dragon boat is a huge war canoe traditionally made from teak that has a dragon’s head carved into the bow and a dragon’s tail carved at the stern. The boats can range up to 100 feet in length and seat anywhere from 20 to 80 paddlers, varying in size. A sacred ritual is held before the race when the eyes are painted on, which is said to "bring the boat to life." A drummer who sits mid-boat and keeps the time of the oar strokes on a huge drum accompanies all boats.

The dragon boat races are daylong events. All kinds of organizations from around the globe such as police, fireman, army, embassies, and even local journalists unions, travel to Hong Kong and enter teams for the races.

A gunshot sets the boats off and the beating drums and cymbals from the crowded shores fill the harbors with noise. The races last all day; on the shores of Hong Kong people celebrate with lively song and dance, rooting on their team.

It is believed that the Dragon Boat Festivals repel evil and bring luck in the summer months.

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The Month of June

June is the sixth month of the year. Some people say that June was named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Others think that the name came from the Latin word juniores, meaning “young men”. These people say that the Romans held June sacred to young men, just as they held May sacred to the majores, or “older men”.

In the northern half of the world, summer begins on June 20, 21, or 22. In the southern part of the world, this is when winter starts.

Each month is filled with a few important days or events and those days have their own place in the history of the world. Some of the events are celebrated in India whereas others are celebrated around the world with particular themes.  Many celebrations take place in June, especially marriages. So before you enter the sixth month of the year, there are a few interesting things you should know.

June consists of 30 days in total and doesn't start on the same day of the week -- as any other month -- but it always ends on the same day of the week as March every year.

Apart from ‘Father’s Day’ and ‘World Environment Day’ there are various national and international events that are celebrated in the month of June. Even the longest day of the year falls in the month of June.

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Mother’s Day

How do you show your mother that you love her? Do you like to share stories with her? Do you do favors’ for her? Do you like to draw pictures for her?

All over the world, people honour mothers and grandmothers in many ways. But in the U.S.A., Canada, and Australia, a special day is set aside just to honour mothers. It is Mother’s Day, and it falls on the second Sunday in May.

On this special day, some children make cards and gifts for their mothers and grandmothers. Other countries of the world also have special days for mothers. For example, people of Malawi celebrate Mother’s Day on October 17. In Spain, mothers are honoured on December 8.

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.

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The Festival of Sacrifice

Coloured lights line the village streets. Children play all day in their best clothes, and friends exchange gifts. It’s the Festival of Sacrifice. Muslims in Egypt and other countries are celebrating.

The Festival of Sacrifice takes place at different times. But it always happens at the end of the hajj, or annual journey to Mecca. Once in their lifetime, all Muslims are required to make this journey, called a pilgrimage, if they are able.

Mecca is the holiest city of Islam, the religion of the Muslims. It lies in western Saudi Arabia. The city is the birthplace of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.

During the festival, animals are also sacrificed in memory of Abraham, a prophet in the Bible.

The rites of Hajj are performed over five or six days, beginning on the eighth day of this month. Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam and re-enacts events carried out by Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and their son Ishmael, and includes a mandatory visit to Arafat, where Prophet Mohammed is said to have delivered his last sermon.

Legend has it that God ordered Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son. Respecting God’s command, but unable to see himself doing as bidden, Abraham blindfolds himself and does the act; or so he thinks. For when he opens his eyes, he finds his son unharmed and a lamb sacrificed instead. Eid al-Adha is celebrated to commemorate this test of faith. God does not want the flesh of the animal but obedience that is to be displayed by following His tenets.

As we enter this wonderful phase of the year where we prepare to celebrate the sacred rituals of our particular faiths, we must never forget the stories behind them and should endeavour to abide by all that is good in our faiths. As has been said, every ritual if ‘performed with imagination and care, enables people to enter a different, timeless dimension’ — most required in these anxious times.

Victoria Day

On the Monday before May 25, Canadians celebrate the birthdays of two British queens born more than 100 years apart. The first queen was Queen Victoria. She was born on May 24, 1819. British people celebrated her birthday every year. After Queen Victoria’s death, Canadians continued to celebrate her birthday to express their loyalty to the British Empire. The holiday is named in her honour.

The second queen is the current queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II. She was born on April 21, 1926, but Canadians celebrate her birthday on Victoria Day.

Canada celebrates Victoria Day with picnics, parades, outdoor concerts, and fireworks. Many families use the long weekend to go camping, host backyard barbecues, or otherwise get outside. It's also a popular weekend for sporting events, such as car racing in Clarington, Ontario; the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and logger sports with ax throwing, log rolling, and tree climbing in Kaslo, British Columbia.

At Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario, you can get back to the holiday’s source during a 1860s-style birthday celebration for Queen Victoria, complete with mock military maneuvers, historical speeches, and a sing along of “God Save the Queen.” The authentic 19th century village also stages athletic games from the 1800s and serves birthday cake in the queen's honor.

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May Day/Labour Day

With flowers in their hair, children dance around a tall pole. They hold colourful ribbons that stream from the top of the pole. As they dance, they weave the ribbons in and out, covering the pole with bright colours. It’s May Day in England, and the Maypole dance celebrates springtime.

May Day was brought to England by the ancient Romans. In Rome, there was a day in a spring when men paraded through the city, carrying pine tree. There was also a festival to honour Flora, the Roman goddess of springtime.

On May Day in England, a pole was set up on a village green and decorated with flowers and ribbons. Villages then danced around the Maypole.

The first of May is also Labour Day in some countries. This holiday celebrates working people. Many countries have parades and picnics.

On 1 May 1886, the labour unions in the United States decided to go on a strike demanding that workers should not be made to work for more than 8 hours a day. Just three days after the strike began, a blast occurred in Chicago's Haymarket Square leaving many dead. To honour those workers who died in the blast, the International Socialist Conference declared May 1 as a day designated for labourers.

In India, Labour Day is also celebrated as ‘Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas’, ‘Uzhaipalar Dinam’ (Tamil) or ‘Kamgar Din’ and its first formal celebration was initiated by the ‘Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan’ in Chennai on May 01 1923. 

Boys’ Day/ Children’s Day

Does your family hang flags or wind socks outside your home as a decoration? On May 5, many Japanese parents fly carp-shaped kites in honour of their boys. The carp is a fish. It is a symbol of strength, courage, and determination.

May 5 is Kodomo no hi, or Boys’ Day, Tango no Sekku, in Japan. There are many traditions on this day. Some families display warrior dolls to remind their sons of stories about heroes.

Kodomo no hi is particularly well known for the unique traditions and decorations that are associated with the celebration of the holiday.

In 1948, the Japanese government made this day a double holiday. It started a new national holiday called Children’s Day to honour both boys and girls. Other countries also celebrate Children’s Day. Some of these countries are Argentina, Iceland, Thailand, and Turkey.

Also on this day, families often take baths sprinkled with iris leaves and roots. This is because the iris is thought to promote good health and ward off evil. Rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves and filled with sweet bean paste, called kashiwamochi, are also eaten.

The Month of May

May is the fifth month of the year. There are several stories about how this month was named. According to one story, May was named after Maia, the Roman goddess of spring and growth.

In older versions of the ancient Roman calendar, May was the third month of the year. It became the fifth month when January and February were added to the calendar.

There are 31 days in May and it does not start or end on the same day of the week as any other month.

In parts of the Northern Hemisphere, May is one of the most beautiful months of the year. The days are warmer and the flowers are in bloom. In the Southern Hemisphere, the days are getting colder.

The Full Moon of May is known as the Flower Moon, named after the blooming flowers in the Northern Hemisphere, where these traditional Full Moon Names originated.

In ancient times, it was common to track the changing seasons by following the lunar month rather than the solar year, which the 12 months in our modern calendar are based on.