Family Day is a holiday celebrated in several countries and provinces, including South Africa, Australian Capital Territory, and Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan in Canada. It recognizes the hard work of people and provides an opportunity for families to come together. The origin of the Alberta holiday has a significant backstory, and Manitoba celebrates Louis Riel Day, coinciding with Family Day. Different standards of celebration exist in each province, and workers are given a day off.
Family Day or Family and Community Day is a holiday celebrated by several countries and in three Canadian provinces. Workers are given a day off and government-owned businesses shut down. Other privately owned businesses may remain open depending on the area where the day is celebrated. Currently, South Africa, the Australian Capital Territory, and the provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan in Canada celebrate Family Day.
In Australia, Family Day is officially titled Family and Community Day. It must be re-declared every year and is celebrated on the first Tuesday in November. In some ways it is similar to Labor Day in the United States, celebrated in September. It recognizes the hard work of the Australian people and that this work deserves an opportunity for family and friends to come together and take a break from such work.
In South Africa it was typical to take the day after Easter as rest, the so-called Easter Monday. In 1995, this holiday was renamed Family Day. It gives the family time to come back from holidays or visits with friends, or just one more day to celebrate a holiday.
Canadian Family Day has different standards of celebration in each province. Ontario does not make this day a public holiday, and the day was not established until 2007. In 2007, the province of Saskatchewan also declared a Family Day. This holiday was first established in the Alberta Territory, where the day was declared in 1995 and is a legal holiday. To mitigate the fact that this could cost companies more money, Canadian Heritage Day became a civic holiday, so that not all workers are exempt from working on this day.
The origin of the Alberta holiday has a significant backstory. Premier Don Getty was facing a significant scandal in the mid-1990s because his son was arrested for possession and use of cocaine. Since the publicity could not be avoided, Getty publicly expressed regret about him and blamed himself for not spending as much time with his family as he should have. In response, the Lieutenant Governor, Helen Huntley, instituted Family Day. In Canada, all three provinces celebrate the day on the third Monday in February.
Another Canadian holiday that coincides with Family Day is celebrated in the province of Manitoba. It was passed in 2007 and is called Louis Riel Day. The day honors Riel, a controversial Canadian politician who was one of the province’s early leaders.
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