It has often been asked in our increasingly secular culture if anything is holy anymore. Canada is a fairly secular country, although different from the secularism in other countries. It is not so much an outright lack of faith here as is pushed by radical groups in the United States or Europe, but simply more private. People aren’t afraid of being religious so much because of public embarrassment, but rather because we’ve been taught not to be so outright about it.
So in this odd culture of ours, do we still have any holy days left? There are only a few days left that are public celebrations of some solemnity. I would say that there are only really 3 days left that really make people stop and think with the rest largely having become days off without much thought given to the purpose of the day. Those 3 days are Canada Day, Christmas, and Remembrance Day.
Canada Day does make people think a little bit about the history of our country, but still ends up being more a day of parties. It’s not too surprising, as Canadians are not really that patriotic compared to many other countries. With Christmas, you can bring up a long list of the reasons Christmas has been largely forgotten in favour of consumerism and, in some cases, outright greed. Even so, the reason for the season is still widely known and celebrated in many places.
And then there’s today, Remembrance Day. Out of all the days of the year, this is really the only one that is so universally celebrated. Not just that though, it is also socially acceptable and even encouraged to participate and remember this day through poems such as In Flanders Field, the playing of the Last Post, and the wearing of the ubiquitous red and black poppy. Citizens are encouraged to attend ceremonies in many cities across the country.
CBC, the national broadcaster, always has live coverage of the ceremonies from the National War Memorial in Ottawa. To someone who only knows the stereotypes of Canada, they may actually think that this ceremony seems almost un-Canadian. In a country sometimes uncomfortable about patriotism we have soldiers and the Governor-General in full uniforms, and in a country uncomfortable about public religion we have chaplains invoking God and the Bible in prayer, and in a country that is sometimes not so sure about how we still relate to Britain we sing God Save the Queen.
And while you might have some disgruntled people who might complain (you always do), it is still considered a faux pas to criticize any of this. While we might not be in favour of war, the whole country by and large believes in the need to honour the soldiers who fought and died. It is one of the only things that is still considered sacred in this country. Today is the only day that is not just an ordinary day with a slightly different theme, but is truly set apart by everyone.
That is what makes Remembrance Day Canada’s Holy Day.