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Fête Nationale du Quebec (Quebec National Holiday)
Fête Nationale du Quebec (Quebec National Holiday)

The national holiday of the Canadian province of Quebec.

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Fête Nationale: Speaking of Quebec with Love

  • Jun 24, 2010
Rating:
+5
Today is Quebec's Fête nationale, formerly St. Jean-Baptiste Day. A couple of decades ago, the focus was shifted from being an exclusively French-Canadian festival to being a celebration for everyone who lives in Quebec. That's why Lee and I fly the Quebec flag today, because we've chosen to live here, raise our children here, contribute as we can to the community.

This year is also the 35th anniversary of a song which has become identified with Quebec nationalism, Gens du pays, by Gilles Vigneault. It apparently was sung for the first time at the Fête nationale show in 1975, which I remember well. By chance, the holiday came at the full moon and the weather was marvelous. Not by chance, the organizers had moved the celebrations to the top of Mount Royal and made them inclusive and family friendly. I remember having a marvelous time, and feeling truly comfortable in this place we had begun to call home.

The refrain to the song has become Quebec's birthday song, as well as one of two Vigneault songs that are frequently called Quebec's unofficial national anthems (the other is Mon Pays, c'est l'hiver.) As you can see in the accompanying video grabbed from a television broadcast of that night in 1975, all you do is add the birthday boy or girl's name: for example, "Dear Emily, it is your turn for us to speak to you of love." Simple in the extreme but delightful. And when it's sung about Quebec--"People of my country, it is time to speak of you with love"--it can be very moving.



Here are the French words:

Le temps que l'on prend pour dire : "Je t'aime"
C'est le seul qui reste au bout de nos jours.
Les voeux que l'on fait, les fleurs que l'on sème
Chacun les récoltes en soi-même
Aux beaux jardins du temps qui court.

(Refrain, x2 :)
Gens du pays, c'est votre tour
De vous laisser parler d'amour

Le temps de s'aimer, le jour de le dire
Fond comme la neige aux doigts du printemps.
Fêtons de nos joies, fêtons de nos rires
Ces yeux où nos regards se mirent.
C'est demain que j'avais vingt ans.

(Au refrain, x2)

Le ruisseau des jours aujourd'hui s'arrête
Et forme un étang où chacun peut voir
Comme en un miroir l'amour qu'il reflète
Pour ces cours à qui je souhaite
Le temps de vivre leurs espoirs.

(Au refrain, x2)

Photo: an iris, Quebec's flower, at its loveliest.
And for comic relief, note that the automatic translator says that the refrain should be translated: "Locals, it's your turn/ Let you talk about love."

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June 24, 2010
This is a specfically Quebec festival, not a "French from France" one. John the Baptist is the patron saint of Quebec and today is his day, but also there is a long tradition all oer the world of having celebrations at the solstice. It used to be that there were big bonfires on St. Jean Baptiste, which surely are a carry-over from some pagan feast. The French holiday is Bastille Day July 14--interesting, isn't it, that so many festivals fall at this time of year? Canada Day is July 1 and US Independence Day is July 4: they all celebrate real events, but maybe people just need to have a holiday when the weather is good. As for celebrating here--there are parades and neighborhood parties and big music shows. We're actually going to a not-specifically-Fête Nationale event, though. Two concerts of the Montreal Baroque festival which starts tonight.
June 24, 2010
Thanks for clarifying, Mary! By the way, when you reply to comments, it would be great if you could hit the "reply" button underneath the comment that you are replying to so that I can get a notification about it. Otherwise, if I hadn't seen your comment in the activity feed, I would've never known that you replied to my comment! Have fun tonight :)
 
June 24, 2010
Time to call my loved ones in France and say "Bonne fete!", and bonne fete to you, too, Mary! Thanks for sharing all this interesting history. What will you be doing to celebrate? What's customary? I've never been around a French'ish region during this time of year before!
 
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About the reviewer

Ranked #113
Mary Soderstrom is a Montreal-based writer of fiction and non-fiction. Her latest non-fiction boo, Making Waves: The Continuing Portuguese Adventure, has just been published by Véhicule Press. … more
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About this topic

Wiki

The National Holiday of Quebec is the national holiday of the Canadian province of Quebec. A paid statutory public holiday covered under the Act Respecting Labour Standards, it is celebrated annually on June 24, St. John the Baptist Day.

In Quebec, the festivities occur on June 23 and June 24 and since 1978 are publicly financed and organized by a National Holiday Organizing Committee (Comité organisateur de la fête nationale). June 24 continues to be celebrated as a festival of French Canadian culture in other provinces and in the United States.
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