Empire Day
| Commonwealth Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Commonwealth of Nations |
| Celebrations | Multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey |
| Date | Second Monday in March |
| 2016 date | March 14 |
| 2017 date | March 13 |
| 2018 date | March 12 |
| 2019 date | March 11 |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Commonwealth Games (every four years) |
Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March. It is marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth along with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth High Commissioners in London. The Queen delivers an address to the Commonwealth, which is broadcast throughout the world.
In the year before the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, the Queen starts the Queen's Baton Relay on Commonwealth Day at Buckingham Palace, handing the baton to the first relay runner to start a journey that will end at the Opening Ceremony of the upcoming Games.
While it has a certain official status, Commonwealth Day is not a public holiday in most Commonwealth countries, and there is little public awareness of it.
Clementina Trenholme introduced Empire Day in Canadian schools, first in Dundas, Ontario in 1898, on the last school day before 24 May, Queen Victoria's birthday. It was celebrated more widely throughout Canada each year. A typical Empire Day in Canadian schools occupied the entire day and included inspirational speeches by trustees and songs such as "The Maple Leaf Forever" and "Just Before the Battle."
Empire Day was promoted to be 24 May (prior to 1901 celebrated as the Queen's Birthday) by the League of the Empire and instituted in the United Kingdom in 1904 by Lord Meath, and extended throughout the countries of the Commonwealth. This day was celebrated by lighting fireworks in back gardens or attending community bonfires. It gave the King's people a chance to show their pride in being part of the British Empire.
The Queen's Birthday was celebrated in the Cape Colony before the Boer War and thereafter throughout the Union of South Africa. General Jan Smuts was born on the Queen's Birthday (24 May) in 1870.
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