Although the only holidays that appeared in Forever Knight episodes were Valentine's Day (in Be My Valentine) and Father's Day (in Father's Day), holidays are a popular topic in Forever Knight fan fiction.
In Canada, public holidays are legislated at both the national and provincial/territorial levels. Certain holidays are observed nationwide, but each province and territory does have its own holidays as well. There are also religious holidays: for historical reasons, some of the major Christian holidays are generally observed; but it is widely accepted for school children and employees to take days off for other religious holidays. In addition, there are some non-religious holidays that are widely observed but without taking the day off.
Holidays[]
Statutory holidays[]
A statutory holiday (usually called a "public holiday") may be legislated either at the federal or provincial/territorial level of government. Most children get off school. Employees are entitled to take the day off with regular pay; and those who are required to work on such a holiday have to be paid at a premium rate in addition to holiday pay.
National Holidays[]
The national holidays are:
- New Year's Day (1 January)
- Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
- Canada Day (1 July)
- Up until 1982, "Canada Day" was named "Dominion Day". The holiday is still sometimes referred to by its original name, especially by older people. It commemmorates the passage of the British North American Act on 1 July 1867, which established Confederation with the original four provinces. As such, Canada Day is often called "Canada's birthday", especially in the press. It is commonly celebrated with fireworks.
- Labour Day (first Monday in September)
- NOTE: the spelling of "Labour Day" differs from American practice.
- Labour Day is considered the unofficial end of summer. In much of the country (including most of Ontario), the school year starts the day after Labour Day.
- Christmas Day (25 December)
Provincial Holidays[]
As Nick Knight lives in the Province of Ontario, the Ontario statutory holidays are also relevant:
- Victoria Day (Monday on or before May 24)
- Victoria Day celebrates the birthday of the monarch; but it is not the actual birthday of the current monarch. Rather, it is a fixed date relating to the actual birthday of Queen Victoria, which was the 24th of May. Victoria Day is traditionally considered to be the unofficial "first day of summer". This is the weekend when gardeners start planting annuals; garden centres (otherwise closed on statutory holidays) are open on the holiday Monday. Victoria Day is commonly celebrated with firework displays.
- Thanksgiving Day (second Monday in October)
- The date of Thanksgiving in Canada differs from American practice.
- Boxing Day (26 December)
NOTE: Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, and Boxing Day are common holidays across Canada; but, although they are statutory holidays for federal employees, they are not statutory holidays in all provinces. In Ontario, Easter Monday is not a statutory holiday, though some people still take it as a day off.
It should also be noted that there is today another statutory holiday in Ontario (Family Day, third Monday of February); but this was only established in 2007, long after Forever Knight went off the air.
Municipal Holidays[]
Forever Knight is set in Toronto. An August Civic Holiday is common in many provinces of Canada (and statutory for federal employees); but it goes by a variety of different names. In Ontario, it is not defined provincially as a statutory holiday, but is determined by the municipality.
- Simcoe Day (first Monday in August)
- Simcoe Day is the name for the August holiday in Toronto only. Other places that celebrate it use different names. The name "Simcoe Day" celebrates John Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (later Ontario).
Other Holidays[]
While people do not normally take the day off work, there are a number of other holidays that are traditionally observed.
- Valentine's Day (14 February)
- St. Patrick's Day (17 March)
- Mother's Day (second Sunday in May)
- Father's Day (third Sunday in June)
- Hallowe'en (31 October)
- Remembrance Day (11 November)
- In many parts of Canada, Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday. However, that is not true in Ontario. Remembrance Day commemorates Canada's war dead, and is celebrated on the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I.
Fan Fiction[]
Many Forever Knight fans delight in writing fan fiction that shows the activities of the characters on a day of public holiday, statutory or otherwise. For examples of such stories, see Holiday Stories.