BC Day is awesome because you can freestyle it.
There is no turkey to roast, no fireworks to stay up for, no queen or saint to honour, no New Year to ring in, no labour movement to study.
In fact, British Columbia Day, the third day off work of this long weekend seems to be deliberately undemanding.
Sure, we appreciate having the day off and we recognize British Columbia is an incredible province in which to live, work and play.
But, the day is yours to do with whatever you want.
So, here are some suggestions -- sleep in, have coffee on the deck, read a book in the park, plan a low-key hike or bike ride, road trip, stroll the waterfront, have a picnic, hit the beach, get out on a boat, paddleboard, play golf, toss the frisbee, do happy hour, have family and friends over for a barbecue, admire the sunset, give thanks you live in a beautiful province with a high standard of living and second-to-none quality of life.
Despite this wide-open invitation to have fun and relax, BC Day often doesn't get its due.
Most people just call it the August long weekend.
In fact, BC didn't even have an August long weekend until 1974, which is when then provincial Attorney General Alex Macdonald proposed we have a day of our own to celebrate our pioneering spirit, history, and diverse cultural heritage.
Thus BC Day was born.
An extra day off work.
An additional day to do what you want, how you want, when you want.
As such, some might consider BC Day a bit of a made up holiday.
After all, it doesn't celebrate Christ's birth like Christmas, mark workers' rights like Labour Day, honour the birth of our nation like Canada Day, or recognize calendar inevitability like New Year's Day.
But, hey, take the extra day off this first Monday of August, call it BC Day and puff out your chest because you're a British Columbian.
People in the rest of Canada are also getting this first Monday of August off as a non-standardized civic holiday.
Thus, it has different names across the country from Heritage Day in Alberta, Saskatchewan Day and New Brunswick Day, Natal Day in Nova Scotia and Regatta Day in Newfoundland to Terry Fox Day in Manitoba, Simcoe Day in Toronto, Colonel By Day in Ottawa, Founder's Day in Brantford and George Hamilton Day in Hamilton.
Happy British Columbia Day!
