Victoria Day

Victoria Day (in French: Fête de la Reine) is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized. It is sometimes informally considered as marking the beginning of the summer season in Canada.

The holiday has been observed in Canada since at least 1845, originally falling on the sovereign's actual birthday, and continues to be celebrated in various fashions across the country on the fixed date; the holiday has always been a distinctly Canadian observance. It is a federal statutory holiday, as well as being a holiday in six of Canada's ten provinces and all three of its territories. In Quebec, the same day was unofficially known as Fête de Dollard from the Quiet Revolution until 2003, when provincial legislation officially created National Patriots' Day on the same date as Victoria Day.

History