Special Occasions in Ontario

An English Ontario family marks the year with a birthday cake, a turkey in October, and a long weekend at the start of summer. The big days are at home. The fireworks are outside.

A birthday

• It is the person’s own day. Cake and a song are the fixed parts.
• Candles are blown out. A wish is kept private.
• Gifts are opened at the table, or later if the party is large.
• A child may have friends over. An adult often has a dinner.
• A card is still common. Money in the card is fine for older children.

Thanksgiving

• It is the second Monday in October. The point is the harvest and the family meal.
• Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and squash fill the table. Pie ends it.
• Pumpkin pie and apple pie are the usual sweets.
• It is not the American date. Ontario keeps the October Monday.
• Guests bring a dish. The host does the bird.

Christmas

• Christmas Eve is quiet in many houses. The 25th is the family day.
• Gifts are opened in the morning. Dinner is in the afternoon.
• Turkey or a ham is the meal. Butter tarts and shortbread sit out all day.
• A tree goes up in December. Lights stay until the new year in some streets.
• Church is for the families that still go. The meal is for everyone.

Canada Day

• It is 1 July, the birthday of the country.
• Flags go out. Parks hold picnics. Fireworks come at dark.
• A cottage, a backyard, or a city park is the usual place.
• Red and white clothes are common. A formal party is not.
• Offices close. The day is outside if the weather holds.

The May long weekend

• It is the weekend of Victoria Day, the Monday before 25 May.
• It opens cottage season. Boats go in. Gardens get planted.
• Fireworks are a town habit, not only a city one.
• A barbecue is the meal. The point is the first warm weekend.
• It is a day off more than a ceremony.

Graduation

• High school and university ends in June.
• A ceremony is in a hall or on a field. Caps are thrown at the end.
• Families take photos. A dinner or a backyard party follows.
• A card and a gift of money are common.
• It is the student’s day. Speeches stay short.