Ah Victoria Day. Aka May long weekend.
May long, May run or more fondly called May two-four by Canadians is a statutory holiday celebrating Queen Victoria’s birthday. Born on May 24, 1819, she became Queen of the United Kingdom three weeks after her 18th birthday and reigned for over 63 years. Upon her death in 1901 Canada’s parliament passed an Act declaring it, legally ‘Victoria Day’, and it’s been an annual event ever since.
CityNews has a great piece on ‘Twenty things you didn’t know about Vitoria Day’. Find out more about this uniquely Canadian tradition here.
Over time this holiday has become less about the queen and our British heritage and more known as the unofficial start of the summer and cottage season. Hoards of Canadians celebrate May two-four by heading out to their cabins along with the obligatory 24 of beer to usher in the warmer weather. Although there is no hard data, Canadian breweries claim to see a 15-20% spike in beer sales before the weekend hits.
It is also a popular time for gardeners to start planting as by this time of the year frost will (hopefully) not return until next autumn. Overall it’s a happy time to kick back and spend some time outdoors with friends and family!
Long Live The Queen!
