Dominion Day

Dominion Day is a commemoration day of the granting of national status in various Commonwealth countries.

Canada

Main article: Canada Day

Dominion Day was the name of the holiday commemorating the formation of Canada as a Dominion on 1 July 1867. The holiday was renamed to Canada Day by Act of Parliament on 27 October 1982.

Crowds on Parliament Hill celebrate Dominion Day, 1927, the 60th jubilee of confederation

On June 20, 1868, Governor General the Viscount Monck issued a royal proclamation asking for Canadians to celebrate the anniversary of the confederation. However, the holiday was not established statutorily until 1879, when it was designated as Dominion Day, in reference to the designation of the country as a Dominion in the British North America Act. The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; up to the early 20th century, Canadians thought themselves to be primarily British, being thus less interested in celebrating distinctly Canadian forms of patriotism. No official celebrations were therefore held until 1917—the golden anniversary of Confederation—and then none again for a further decade.

Beginning in 1958, the Canadian government began to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations, usually consisting of Trooping the Colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Canada's centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian patriotism, and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added, and the fête became known as Festival Canada. From the 1960s into the 1980s, Dominion Day was the date the Miss Dominion of Canada beauty pageant, held at Niagara Falls, Ontario. After 1980 the Canadian government began to promote the celebrating of Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities.

The term "Dominion" was originally coined by Sir Leonard Tilley who came up with it "as a way to encapsulate the aspirations of the Confederation generation." It was derived from the eighth verse of the 72nd Psalm, and was intended to denote the breadth of the country from "sea to sea," not "domination" as was sometimes later claimed. All of the Fathers of Confederation agreed to use the term as an alternative to "Kingdom" which was seen as provocative to the United States. By the 1970s the term "dominion" was rarely used by the national government, and the Trudeau government was in favour of renaming Dominion Day, although it did not give official backing to the proposal. The holiday was actually renamed in 1982, following the patriation of the Canadian Constitution, as a result of a private member's bill in the House of Commons.

See also: Name of Canada and Canadian Confederation

New Zealand

Dominion Day is the name given to 26 September, the anniversary of the day in 1907 when New Zealand was granted dominion status within the British Empire. No longer a statutory (bank) holiday, the only current official observance of the day is as a Provincial Anniversary Day in South Canterbury, and is celebrated on the fourth Monday of September. There is support in some quarters for the day to be revived as an alternative New Zealand Day, instead of renaming Waitangi Day, New Zealand's current national day.

See also: Independence of New Zealand and Dominion of New Zealand