FAMILY DAY - February 19, 2024
Canada’s first Family Day occurred in Alberta in 1990. Ontario first celebrated this special day only sixteen years ago in 2008. If asked about the roots of Family Day, we might find ourselves with few words to say about it. “Professor Google” provided the following information as to how this day spread across our nation:
Family Day in Canada is celebrated on the third Monday in February, and technically is not a national, federally mandated holiday.
Most Canadians live in areas that celebrate Family Day as a province-level statutory holiday as does British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan.
Other provinces have statutory holidays on the third Monday in February, but these are not called Family Day. The holiday is referred to Louis Riel Day in Manitoba, Heritage Day in Nova Scotia, and Islander Day on Prince Edward Island.
Also, in the Yukon, the February holiday is called Heritage Day, celebrated on February 23, not as a statutory but a contractual holiday.
Image: Unsplash/Rod Long
Today, society as a whole recognizes that families come in various shapes. A family does not necessarily consist of blood relatives. Perhaps you have witnessed strong family ties among close knit people who love and support each other and see themselves as family.
The third Monday in February has no deeply rooted traditions associated with it as there are with Christmas or Thanksgiving. Whatever the February holiday is named, it provides a three-day winter weekend with precious time to celebrate the bonds of love among and between individuals who identify as family.
Let’s find ways to make Family Day 2024 an occasion to reconnect and express our gratitude for the role families play in our lives and society.
-Sister Nancy Wales