Holidays and Celebrations

Saturday and Sunday | January 1 - New Year's Day | Valentine's Day - February 14 | Late March or early April - Good Friday | Late March or early April - Easter Sunday | Late March or early April - Easter Monday | Victoria Day - Monday before May 25 | Canada Day - July 1 | Labour Day - First Monday in September | Thanksgiving - Second Monday of October | Halloween - October 31 | Remembrance Day - November 11 | Christmas Day - December 25 | Boxing Day - December 26 | New Year's Eve - December 31

Though Canada is a secular country and there is separation between church and state, Canada was founded by men and women, the majority of whom were Christians. There are many different cultures and religions in Canada now, but the largest religion in Canada is still Christianity and Canada still observes many Christian holidays.

There are two different kinds of holidays in Canada. The first is a statutory holiday, where it is illegal to force people to work on that day. People may still work if they wish, but their employers must pay them a higher-than-normal rate of pay.

The second kind of holiday is more of a celebration or a day of reflection. These may be holidays that used to be statutory but are no longer, though banks and government offices may still be closed on those days. They may just mean that people may observe certain customs or practices.