Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (french: Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste, la Saint-Jean, Fête nationale du Québec), also known in English as ''St John the Baptist Day'', is a holiday celebrated on June 24 in the Canadian province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and by French Canadians across Canada and the United States. It was brought to Canada by French settlers celebrating the traditional feast day of the

Nativity of Saint John the Baptist The Nativity of John the Baptist (or Birth of John the Baptist, or Nativity of the Forerunner, or colloquially Johnmas or St. John's Day (in German) Johannistag) is a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of John the Baptist. It is observed ...

. It was declared a public holiday in QuebecQuébec 'national Holiday Act' defining the holiday, http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=%2F%2FF_1_1%2FF1_1_A.htmGouvernement du Québec.
National Holiday
", in the site of the ''Commission des normes du travail'', June 17, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2008Gouvernement du Québec.

, in ''CanLII'', Federation of Law Societies of Canada, updated to May 1, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2008 in 1925, with publicly financed events organized province-wide by a ''Comité organisateur de la fête nationale du Québec''.

Origins

The feast day of

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...

was a very popular event in the ''

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

'' of France, and it is still celebrated as a religious feast day in several countries, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Spain, Latvia, Ireland and Lithuania. The tradition landed in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with the first French colonists. The first mention of celebrations of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in North America dates back to 1606, when settlers en route to the future Acadia rested on the coast of Newfoundland, June 23. The second mention of celebrations, according to the Jesuit ''Relations'', occurred on the banks of the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

on the evening of June 23, 1636, with a bonfire and five cannon shots. The green, white and red tricolour used by the Parti patriote between 1832 and 1838 In

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

, the celebration of the nativity of St. John the Baptist took a patriotic tone in 1834 on the initiative of one of the founders of the newspaper ''

La Minerve ''La Minerve'' (French for "The Minerva") was a newspaper founded in Montreal, Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) by Augustin-Norbert Morin to promote the political goals of Louis-Joseph Papineau's Parti patriote. It was notably directed by Ludge ...

'',

Ludger Duvernay Ludger Duvernay (January 22, 1799 – November 28, 1852), born in Verchères, Quebec, was a printer by profession and published a number of newspapers including the '' Gazette des Trois-Rivières,'' the first newspaper in Lower Canada outs ...

, who would later become the first president of the

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (french: Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic asso ...

. In the spring of 1834, Duvernay and other ''patriotes'' attended the celebrations of the first St. Patrick's Day, the celebration of the Irish diaspora, in Montreal. This would give him and others the idea of organizing something similar for all the ''

Canadiens French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

'' and their friends. On that June 24,

George-Étienne Cartier Sir George-Étienne Cartier, 1st Baronet, (pronounced ; September 6, 1814May 20, 1873) was a Canadian statesman and Father of Confederation. The English spelling of the name—George, instead of Georges, the usual French spelling—is explained ...

's "''

Ô Canada! mon pays, mes amours The lyrics to "Ô Canada! mon pays, mes amours", meaning "O Canada! my country, my love" is a French-Canadian patriotic song. It was written by George-Étienne Cartier and first sung in 1834, during a patriotic banquet of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste ...

''" was first sung during a grand patriotic banquet gathering about sixty francophones and

anglophones Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, in the gardens of lawyer John McDonnell, near the old Windsor Station. The ''Canada'' in the song refers to

, today's southern Quebec. Rounds of toasts went to the ''Parti patriote'', the United States, Ireland, and the

Ninety-Two Resolutions The Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the '' Parti patriote'' of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony. Papineau ha ...

. Two days later, ''La Minerve'' concluded: "This holiday, whose goal is to solidify the union of the ''Canadiens'', will not go without bearing fruit. It will be celebrated annually as a national holiday and will not miss producing the happiest results." The celebration recurred in 1835, 1836, 1837. Following the defeat of the insurrectional movement during the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now south ...

and the military repressions which followed, the day was not celebrated for several years. Drapeau Carillon Sacré-Cœur: A Carillon flag waved by people on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day from its creation in 1902 until 1948. The current flag of Quebec is based on this design, and was adopted in 1948. In 1834, Duvernay established the charitable Association Saint-Jean Baptiste in order to have the Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrated that year. The association was chartered in 1849 with the mission of promoting social and moral progress. (See

.) The celebrations were supported by the Catholic Church and were primarily religious around that time. The lighting of bonfires, a traditional custom on the Nativity of Saint John which ultimately reached back to pre-Christian

celebrations were still lit at night. In addition, the first Saint-Jean-Baptiste parades were organized. They became an important tradition over time. The procession of allegorical floats was introduced in 1874. On June 24, 1880, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society organized the gathering of all francophone communities across North America. The event was the first National Congress of French Canadians (''Congrès national des Canadiens français''). On this occasion, the citizens of

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

were the first ones to hear the "'' Ô Canada''" of

Calixa Lavallée Calixa Lavallée (December 28, 1842 – January 21, 1891) was a French-Canadian-American musician and Union Army band musician during the American Civil War. He is best known for composing the music for "O Canada," which officially became the na ...

, based on a poem by a Quebec Superior Court judge,

Adolphe-Basile Routhier Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier (May 8, 1839 – June 27, 1920) was a Canadian judge, author, and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics of the original French version of the Canadian national anthem "O Canada". He was born in Saint-Placide, Quebec, to Ch ...

. The song was commissioned by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. It was well received but did not become a widely known song for many years. English words were later written for a

royal tour A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

in 1901. In 1980, "O Canada" became the official national anthem of Canada. In 1908, Pope

Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

designated St. John the Baptist as the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of French Canadians. From 1914 to 1923 the processions were not held. In 1925, 91 years after the Ludger Duvernay's banquet in Montreal, June 24 became provincially a legal holiday in Quebec.

The ''Fête nationale''

Parliament Building in

on the eve of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day In Quebec, June 24 (Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day), or Provincial Holiday, is officially a paid Public holidays in Canada, statutory public holiday covered under the ''Act Respecting Labour Standards''. In 1977, an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

by Lieutenant Governor

Hugues Lapointe Hugues Lapointe (March 3, 1911 – November 13, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer, Member of Parliament and Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from 1966 to 1978. Life and career Born in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, the son of the Canadian Member of ...

, on the advice of Premier

René Lévesque René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attempt ...

, declared June 24 the provincial holiday in Quebec. The following year, the National Holiday Organizing Committee (french: Comité organisateur de la fête nationale) was created. The committee initially entrusted the organization of the events to the ''Société des festivals populaires du Québec''. In 1984, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the SSJB, the organization of the celebrations was entrusted to the '' Mouvement national des Québécoises et des Québécois'' (MNQ). By making it a statutory holiday, the day became a holiday for all Quebecers rather than only those of French-Canadian or Catholic origins. Celebrations were gradually secularized, primarily due to actions taken by the MNQ, and June 23 and 24 became as they are now known. Many festivities take place on the night before the holiday proper. While the religious significance of the civic celebration is gone, the day remains popularly called ''la St-Jean-Baptiste'' or simply ''la St-Jean'' (notably by businesses), and is still observed in churches. In 2010 and 2011, Franco-Ontarian New Democratic MP Claude Gravelle introduced a private member's bill in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

to recognize Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day as a federal holiday in Canada.

Political nature of the celebration

During and immediately after the

Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution (french: Révolution tranquille) was a period of intense socio-political and socio-cultural change in French Canada which started in Quebec after the election of 1960, characterized by the effective secularization of govern ...

, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day became highly politicized. The religious symbolism associated with the celebrations was replaced by political ideals of Quebec separatism.

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

Georges Vanier Georges-Philias Vanier (23 April 1888 – 5 March 1967) was a Canadian military officer and diplomat who served as governor general of Canada, the first Quebecer and second Canadian-born person to hold the position. Vanier was born and ...

, who, as

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

, had always fostered unity and biculturalism, found himself the target of

Quebec sovereigntists Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, 1964, wherein a group of sovereigntists held placards reading "''Vanier vendu''" ("Vanier the sell-out") and "''Vanier fou de la Reine''" ("Vanier, jester to the Queen"). Four years later, with the new Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in attendance on the eve of a general election, a riot broke out on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. A group of agitators threw bottles at the Prime Minister in an effort to make him feel unwelcome at the ceremony. Trudeau was filmed refusing to take cover or leave the grandstand, saying that he was a Québécois and would not be intimidated by a drunken mob. The scene was broadcast on Télévision de Radio-Canada's and CBC's evening news. Many saw it as an open act of courage, and the Prime Minister's defiance impressed the electorate and contributed to his

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

winning a significant majority the next day. During the French-language network SRC's televised coverage of the 1969 Montreal parade, filmmakers Bernard Gosselin and

Pierre Perrault Pierre Perrault (29 June 1927 – 24 June 1999) was a Québécois documentary film director. He directed 20 films between 1963 and 1996. He was one of the most important filmmakers in Canada, although largely unknown outside of Québec. In ...

were asked to withdraw from the airwaves after nationalist and sarcastic comments. At one point they suggested the creation of a Ministry of

Boast Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...

fulness and a High Commissioner of kvetching. There was a riot and the Saint-Jean-Baptiste icon was destroyed. This led to the interruption of the parade, which did not take place the next year. In June 2009, Quebec bands Lake of Stew and

Bloodshot Bill Bloodshot may refer to: Music * Bloodshot (The J. Geils Band album), ''Bloodshot'' (The J. Geils Band album) (1973) * Bloodshot (Choir album), ''Bloodshot'' (Choir album) (2018) *Bloodshot (song), "Bloodshot" (song), a 2019 song by Dove Cameron * ...

, whose members are bilingual anglophone Quebecers, were added to the program of a local celebration in Montreal called ''L'Autre St-Jean'' ("The Other St-Jean"). When it became known that they would be performing their songs in English, there were several complaints and later the musicians were barred from the celebrations. The Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste President, Mario Beaulieu, defended the decision to cancel these musicians' performances, by stating that the

official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...

of the province of Quebec is French. However, after public outrage from both the anglophone and francophone communities, these two bands were returned to the program when it was clarified that the bands were free to sing songs in English as well as French. By government regulation, however, the St-Jean program must be conducted in French (even by such internationally and nationally famous anglophone artists such as Martha Wainwright and Patrick Watson). The festival has attempted to be more inclusive, as groups have sung in Creole and for the 2008 celebrations, Samian, "the world's first aboriginal Algonquin-language rapper", sang at Montreal's celebration. The Montreal Metro attempts to symbolize the inclusive nature of the celebration through the motto it displays on information screens on stations and on-board trains on Saint-Jean-Baptiste day: ''Bonne Saint-Jean-Baptiste à tous et à toutes avec surtout ce sentiment de se sentir membre à part entière de cette communauté québécoise diverse et fière!'' (English: "Happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste to one and all and especially the feeling of being an integral part of this diverse and proud Quebec community!"). In 2017, there was a controversy at the Fête nationale parade when a float featuring white performers was performing a popular Québécois anthem, and pushed by several black youths dressed in beige. Spectators interpreted the sight as racist, and symbolic of slavery.

Notes

References

;In English * Suzanne Thomas
Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrations
in ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', 2013 * Gouvernement du Québec.

, in ''CanLII'', Federation of Law Societies of Canada, updated to May 1, 2008 * Gouvernement du Québec.

", in the site of the ''Commission des normes du travail'', June 17, 2008 * Le Moine, James MacPherson, ''Origin of the festival of Saint-Jean-Baptiste ...'', Québec: Morning Chronicle Office, 1880
online
;In French * Joly, Diane.
Les processions de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste à Montréal
, in ''Encyclopédie du patrimoine culturel de l'Amérique française'', July 21, 2008 * RDAQ.
La Saint-Jean-Baptiste
, in the site of the ''Réseau des services d'archives du Québec'', 2001 * Prémont, Donald. "24 juin 1834 – Le premier banquet de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste", in Les Patriotes de 1837@1838, March 10, 2000 * Nadeau, Claude,

", in Claudenadeau.net, 1998 (her personal Web site) * Bizier, Hélène-Andrée and Paulette, Claude (1997). ''Fleur de lys, d'hier à aujourd'hui'', Montréal: Édition Art Global, 158 p. () * Rumilly, Robert (1975). ''Histoire de la Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, des Patriotes au fleurdelysé, 1834–1948'', Montréal: Éditions de l'Aurore, 564 p. () * Vaugeois, Denis (1978). "La Saint-Jean, fête de la fierté", in ''Forces'', XLIII, 2nd quarter, 1978 * SSJBM (1926). ''Processions de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste en 1924 et 1925; ..', Montréal: L. Beauchemin, 315 p.
online
* SSJBM (1904). ''70ème anniversaire de l'Association nationale St-Jean-Baptiste, Montréal, 1834–1904'', Montréal: Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, 66 p.
online
* SSJBQ (1902). ''Programme des fêtes du soixantenaire de la Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Québec, 1842–1902 : fête nationale des Candiens-français, lundi, 23 juin 1902'', Québec: Impr. Darveau, J. Baeuchamp, 16 p.
online
* SSJBM (1903). ''Souvenir patriotique de la St-Jean-Baptiste, 1903 : dédié aux familles canadiennes'', Montréal: Association Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, 44 p.
online
* SSJBM (1901). ''Souvenir de la fête de la St-Jean-Baptiste, 1901'', Montréal: Association Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, 32 p.
online
* Chouinard, H.-J.-J.-B. (1890). ''Fête nationale des Canadiens-français célébrée à Québec, 1881–1889'', Québec: L'Imprimerie Belleau & cie éditeurs, 537 p.
online
* SSJBM (1884). ''Souvenir de la St-Jean-Baptiste à Montréal, 1884'', Montréal: Canada Railway News Co., 48 p.
online
* Chouinard, H.-J.-J.-B. (1881). ''Fête nationale des Canadiens français célébrée à Québec en 1880'', Québec: L'Imprimerie A. Coté & cie éditeurs, 1881, 632 p.
online

External links

* * {{Canada Holidays

Holidays in Quebec Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society Saint John's Day

Parades in Canada