Victoria Day: One Holiday, Ten Different Names

Ready for the long weekend? Do you know what we celebrate on Monday? At LingoStar Language Services, we found 10 different names for the very same holiday, in Vancouver called Victoria Day, and we are bringing you the explanation for every single one. Take inspiration and enjoy your free time and beautiful weather on this great Canadian holiday.

Victoria Day

Queen Victoria, who reigned over Great Britain, was born on May 24, 1819.

Victoria Day Weekend

This celebration marks the birthday of Queen Victoria and is celebrated every year on the last Monday before May 25.

May Two-Four

A “two-four” is slang for a case of 24 beers, and since the Victoria Day Weekend often ends up including the date May 24th, well, the “May Two-Four” is that weekend where you have an extra day to drink, or to recover.

The Start of Camping Season

Camping season in Canada runs from Victoria Day (third Monday in May) until Labour Day (first Monday in September).

Unofficial Beginning of Summer

In the hopes that the frost is really over, many people break out the gardening gloves and get dirty on Victoria Day weekend.

May Long Weekend

This is pretty self-explanatory. Sometimes abbreviated to just “May Long”.

Firecracker Day

Fireworks on the holiday Monday is a Canadian tradition. People usually go to fireworks displays put on by their local towns or cities, or set their own off in their backyard or neighbourhood parks.

May Run

Why is this weekend called “MAY RUN”? In a Facebook discussion, someone thinks that it is a combination of some species of fish start ‘running’ and the people ‘running’ off camping for the first long weekend after the cold period. Another theory goes that teenagers ‘run away’ from their parents to drink beer.

National Patriots’ Day

This name has roots in Canadian history and is celebrated in the province of Quebec. That is to say, the rebellion against the British in 1837. There are many celebrations, events, and historic activities throughout the whole province.

Victoria and First Peoples Day

The name suggested giving Canadians a chance to honor both the Crown and the indigenous peoples of Canada. This change was suggested by Canadians.

Are There Even More?

Do you know any other names for Victoria Day? Don’t forget to share them with us on Facebook. We look forward to your comments!

But however many names are, here at LingoStar we have professional translators available that know the differences and we provide a range of language services from translation and typesetting, interpreting services, subtitling and more! For more information, contact us by calling 604-629-8420 or emailing info@lingo-star.com to discuss your next language-related project. You can also request a free quote via our website dev.lingo-star.com. We are here to help!