Canada Day...

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O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.


All Canadians know their national anthem. Not only do they know the words in English, but most Canadians know them in French too. Today we experienced Canada Day first hand in the capital city.

We began our day by walking up to Parliament Hill to see the changing of the guard, the musical ride (the guards performing on horses), and a small air show. On their own, each activity was a fairly typical display of patriotism. The amazing part of the day was the intense national pride demonstrated in the crowd among a hugely diverse group of people. Young couples of every nationality were out with their strollers wearing red and white. The old were walking through the street wearing red hats, maple leaves, and in some cases, bright red long johns to show their pride. I even saw a Canadian flag featuring a sketch of a man from an Indigenous Nation. (I don’t think many Native Americans celebrate the Fourth of July.) A stage was set up on the hill where musicians performed throughout the day. The music easily transversed through the different languages of the country. No one blinked an eye as the music switched from English, to French, to Celtic dancers, to Indian hip hop. The display of diversity was amazing. Even more so was the crowd’s tolerance for such a display of diversity. It was quite a different image than I am used to seeing on Fourth of July, where country music, barbeque, and apple pie rule the land.

Of course as the day progressed, I saw that Canada Day also has similarities with the Fourth of July. There were fireworks, people scandalously displaying their red and white, and of course those who celebrated with a lot of Canadian beer. But even in the midst of scandal and shame, drunken teenagers (the drinking age is 19 here) were singing each and every word to the national anthem. How many of our drunken teenagers do you think could sing each and every word to The Star Spangled Banner?

Discussion Question: How does music shape cultural identity?

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