Category Archives: Holidays

Holidays

Is New Brunswick Day a Public Holiday?

New Brunswick Day is a public holiday in New Brunswick, where it is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

Picture -Eunice Flores

N.B. Day: What’s open and closed in Greater Saint John

 

Monday is New Brunswick Day and that means many places normally open on a weekday will not be.

Grocery stores, malls and big-box stores will be closed, but some drug stores will be open.

If you were planning to head to the Saint John City Market, it will be closed for the day.

NB Liquor and Cannabis NB stores will be closed, but agency liquor outlets will be open.

Banks, post offices and all government offices will also be closed, and there will be no mail delivery.

Sint John Transit buses will not be running. Garbage and compost collection in the city will follow its regular schedule.

 

 

What Do People Do?

On the first Monday of August, the New Brunswick Day merit awards are presented to residents, businesses and organizations that work tirelessly to improve life in their city, town or village. In addition, many communities hold birthday parties for their province. These often include:

  • A huge civic birthday cake that is distributed among residents.
  • Live entertainment and music.
  • Family activities such as face painting, storytellers and sports events.
  • Large communal meals, such as a breakfast, barbecue or supper.

Some areas may organize cooking competitions featuring local produce, such as Atlantic salmon or fiddleheads (the unfurled fronds of a fern), as well as road races or military displays.

Public Life

New Brunswick Day is a statutory holiday in the province of New Brunswick and many people have a day off work. Post offices, schools and many other organizations and businesses are closed, but stores may be open depending on local custom. Public transport services may be reduced or not run at all.

Background

The area that is now the province of New Brunswick has been populated by First Nations communities for around 6000 years. In the 1600s and 1700s, the area was colonized by the French and later the British. In 1867, New Brunswick formed the Canadian Confederation along with Nova Scotia and the province of Canada. New Brunswick Day has been a holiday since 1976 and the New Brunswick Day awards were introduced in 1991.

Symbols

Some provincial symbols that may be seen on New Brunswick Day include:

  • The coat of arms, which contains similar elements to the New Brunswick flag.
  • The purple violet (a flower).
  • The black-capped chickadee (a small bird).
  • The balsam fir (a tree).
  • The New Brunswick tartan.

The New Brunswick flag is raised in some communities on the day. This flag is rectangular and consists of two parts. The top third of the flag is a gold lion on a red field, which represents the province’s links with the Braunschweig (Brunswick) region in central Germany and the monarch of the United Kingdom. The lower part of the flag consists of a Spanish galley and represents shipbuilding, which was an important industry in the province.

Fun Holidays

Space Exploration Day

On July 20, look up at the sky and think back on all the advances humankind has made in exploring and understanding space because it is Space Exploration Day.

 

The annual holiday commemorates the anniversary of the first manned mission to the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Americans astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to step foot on the surface of the Moon.

In 1984, the day was proclaimed a holiday by United States President Ronald Reagan. The fifth manned mission of NASA’s Apollo program, Apollo 11 was launched from Florida on July 16. It returned to Earth with the 3 astronauts – Armstrong, Aldrin, and Michael Collins on July 24.

Moon Day

The holiday, which is also sometimes called Moon Day, encourages people to learn more about space exploration. It attempts to inspire young adults to consider space sciences and space exploration as careers.

 

What to Do

  • Visit your local space and science museums and spend the day there learning about space and our astronomical neighbors.
  • Join an astronomy club and participate in their Space Exploration Day activities.
  • If you have young children in your life, get them interested in space and related fields by reading them books about space and space technology.

F Y I…

…that 12 people, including Armstrong and Aldrin, have walked on the surface of the Moon?

Fun Holidays

Emoji Day

World Emoji Day on July 17 is an unofficial holiday that pays homage to emojis.

 

The holiday was created in 2014 by Jeremy Burge as a way to celebrate emojis and to popularize their usage. Burge is the creator of Emojipedia, a reference website for emojis. He chose July 17 as the date for the observance because of the way the calendar emoji is displayed on iPhones—a calendar that has July 17 as the default date.

Japanese Invention

Emojis are graphical representations of emotions, ideas, and thoughts. A Japanese invention of the 1990s, they were first introduced to the world in 2011 by Apple in their iPhones. The word emoji in Japanese means picture character or picture letter.

Emojis have now become an integral part of online communications—billions of emojis are sent in social media and text messages daily. Some of the most widely used emojis including the face with tears of joy, the heart, and the face with heart eyes.

A New Language

The widespread usage of emojis in everyday online correspondence has led linguistics experts to believe that emojis might be evolving into a new type of language. According to experts, emojis can be very convenient and effective in written communication, where emotion and tone are harder to convey.

At the same time, there have been concerns that emojis can also lead to miscommunications, especially when people interpret an emoji differently.

Emoji Versus Emoticons

Many people use the words emoji and emoticons interchangeably, even though they are not the same thing. Emoticons are text only while emojis are stylized images.

What to do

  • Use only emojis to communicate with everyone on social media and text/SMS today.
  • Carry index cards with emojis printed on them and use them when interacting with people in real life. Let them know you are celebrating World Emoji Day.

FYI…

…that the Oxford Dictionaries declared emoji as the word of the year in 2015?

food, Fun Holidays

🍗 Happy Fried Chicken Day!

Today, we celebrate one of the most delicious comfort foods ever created – crispy, juicy, perfectly seasoned fried chicken! Whether you love it spicy, extra crispy, or paired with waffles, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this finger-licking delight.

Here are a few fun ways to make the most of Fried Chicken Day:

  1. Try a New Recipe: From classic Southern style to Korean fried chicken with a sweet and spicy glaze, explore different recipes and find your new favorite.
  2. Support Local Restaurants: Order from your favorite local spot or discover a new place. Small businesses need our support, and what better excuse than Fried Chicken Day?
  3. Host a Fried Chicken Feast: Gather your friends and family for a fried chicken potluck. Everyone can bring their favorite style, and you can sample a variety of delicious takes on this classic dish.
  4. Share Your Fried Chicken Pics: We want to see your mouth-watering creations! Post your photos with the hashtag #FriedChickenDay and tag us so we can drool over them too.
  5. Pair It with Perfect Sides: Don’t forget the sides! Mac and cheese, coleslaw, biscuits, and mashed potatoes are all amazing companions to your crispy chicken.

Whether you’re cooking up a storm at home or treating yourself to a takeout, make sure to indulge in some crispy, golden goodness today.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy fried chicken? Let us know in the comments! ❤️