Every sovereign country in the world celebrates a national holiday or something similar. For Canada, that day is July 1st, appropriately called Canada Day.

Previously known as Dominion Day, Canada Day is one of the few nationwide statutory holidays. Here are a few fun facts about the holiday.

Fun Facts

• Canada Day is a federal statutory holiday. Canada has five nationwide statutory holidays.
• This day celebrates the Canadian Confederation anniversary, on July 1, 1867, when the three separate colonies, New Brunswick, the United Canadas, and Nova Scotia, were officially united into a single sovereign entity within the British Empire called Canada.
• The enactment of the British North America Act of 1867 was marked with bells ringing at St. James Cathedral Church in Toronto.
• Canada Day was initially named Domino Day but was renamed in 1982, the same year Canada severed its dependence on the United Kingdom.
• Canada Day is celebrated in the country and several other places where Canadians live abroad.
• Although some people may refer to Canada as Canada’s birthday, this is a definite oversimplification. Canada Day marks one of the days in which Canada made a significant milestone as a country.
• Bonfires, fireworks, illuminations, and military displays are among the many festivities that mark the 1st of July you can expect to witness.
• The term Domino refers to the reference in the British North America Act to the Country as a dominion. The holiday was not celebrated countrywide until 1897 when it was made statutory.