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Commonwealth Day
Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select member states of the Commonwealth, observances of the date are not uniform, and the date is not celebrated as a public holiday in most Commonwealth countries.
The event traces its origins to Empire Day, an event initially conceived to celebrate the British Empire. It was originally observed on Queen Victoria's birthday (24 May) or the last weekday before it. In the latter half of the 20th century, the celebration's focus shifted towards emphasising the modern Commonwealth of Nations, and the event was renamed Commonwealth Day in 1958; its date was moved to the second Monday in March in 1977.
Commonwealth Day is typically marked by a Commonwealth Day message made by the Head of the Commonwealth, as well as additional statements from the Commonwealth Secretary-General. Inter-denominational observances are also held in cities across the Commonwealth, including one led by the Head of the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey in London and attended by the Commonwealth Secretary-General.
Flag-raising ceremonies for the flag of the Commonwealth of Nations are also held in Commonwealth countries. The flags of Commonwealth member states are flown at select locations in the United Kingdom, while the Royal Union Flag is flown at federal installations in Canada.
The idea of observing one day each year as a public holiday throughout the British Empire was first suggested in 1894 and 1895 by Thomas Robinson, the honorary secretary for the Royal Colonial Institute based in Winnipeg. Taking up Robinson's suggestion, the Royal Colonial Institute's London council petitioned Queen Victoria in July 1894, arguing that while other nations had annual national celebrations, the British Empire lacked one. They proposed designating the Queen's birthday for this purpose. In a reply the British prime minister, Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, stated that it was a matter not for the government but for the community and pointed out that government departments already observed the Queen's birthday as a holiday. However, the idea quickly gained support from organisations such as the British Empire League in the 1890s.
The idea to hold an "Empire Day" as a day that would "remind children that they formed part of the British Empire" also gained support among educations during the 1890s. Championed by Clementina Trenholme, Empire Day was first observed in Ontario schools in 1898 and scheduled for the last school day before May 24, Queen Victoria's birthday. By the end of the 19th century, Empire Day was also celebrated in Cape Colony before the Second Boer War and thereafter throughout the Union of South Africa. Empire Day was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1904 by Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath, "to nurture a sense of collective identity and imperial responsibility among young empire citizens".
After the death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901, her birthday, 24 May, was celebrated from 1902 as Empire Day, though not officially recognised as an annual event until 1916.[deprecated source?] In schools, morning lessons were devoted to "exercises calculated to remind (the children) of their mighty heritage". The centrepiece of the day was an organised and ritualistic veneration of the Union flag. Schoolchildren were given the afternoon off, and further events were usually held in their local community.
After the First World War, the jingoism was toned down in favour of sombre commemoration in the festival. In 1925, 90,000 people attended an Empire Day thanksgiving service held at Wembley Stadium as part of the British Empire Exhibition. However, Empire Day became more of a sombre commemoration in the aftermath of the First World War, and politically partisan in the United Kingdom as the Labour Party passed a resolution in 1926 to prevent the further celebration of Empire Day.
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Commonwealth Day
Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select member states of the Commonwealth, observances of the date are not uniform, and the date is not celebrated as a public holiday in most Commonwealth countries.
The event traces its origins to Empire Day, an event initially conceived to celebrate the British Empire. It was originally observed on Queen Victoria's birthday (24 May) or the last weekday before it. In the latter half of the 20th century, the celebration's focus shifted towards emphasising the modern Commonwealth of Nations, and the event was renamed Commonwealth Day in 1958; its date was moved to the second Monday in March in 1977.
Commonwealth Day is typically marked by a Commonwealth Day message made by the Head of the Commonwealth, as well as additional statements from the Commonwealth Secretary-General. Inter-denominational observances are also held in cities across the Commonwealth, including one led by the Head of the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey in London and attended by the Commonwealth Secretary-General.
Flag-raising ceremonies for the flag of the Commonwealth of Nations are also held in Commonwealth countries. The flags of Commonwealth member states are flown at select locations in the United Kingdom, while the Royal Union Flag is flown at federal installations in Canada.
The idea of observing one day each year as a public holiday throughout the British Empire was first suggested in 1894 and 1895 by Thomas Robinson, the honorary secretary for the Royal Colonial Institute based in Winnipeg. Taking up Robinson's suggestion, the Royal Colonial Institute's London council petitioned Queen Victoria in July 1894, arguing that while other nations had annual national celebrations, the British Empire lacked one. They proposed designating the Queen's birthday for this purpose. In a reply the British prime minister, Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, stated that it was a matter not for the government but for the community and pointed out that government departments already observed the Queen's birthday as a holiday. However, the idea quickly gained support from organisations such as the British Empire League in the 1890s.
The idea to hold an "Empire Day" as a day that would "remind children that they formed part of the British Empire" also gained support among educations during the 1890s. Championed by Clementina Trenholme, Empire Day was first observed in Ontario schools in 1898 and scheduled for the last school day before May 24, Queen Victoria's birthday. By the end of the 19th century, Empire Day was also celebrated in Cape Colony before the Second Boer War and thereafter throughout the Union of South Africa. Empire Day was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1904 by Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath, "to nurture a sense of collective identity and imperial responsibility among young empire citizens".
After the death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901, her birthday, 24 May, was celebrated from 1902 as Empire Day, though not officially recognised as an annual event until 1916.[deprecated source?] In schools, morning lessons were devoted to "exercises calculated to remind (the children) of their mighty heritage". The centrepiece of the day was an organised and ritualistic veneration of the Union flag. Schoolchildren were given the afternoon off, and further events were usually held in their local community.
After the First World War, the jingoism was toned down in favour of sombre commemoration in the festival. In 1925, 90,000 people attended an Empire Day thanksgiving service held at Wembley Stadium as part of the British Empire Exhibition. However, Empire Day became more of a sombre commemoration in the aftermath of the First World War, and politically partisan in the United Kingdom as the Labour Party passed a resolution in 1926 to prevent the further celebration of Empire Day.