Canada Day Celebrations Underway in Luxembourg

Each year on 1 July, Canada celebrates its national day, Canada Day, which marks the anniversary of the 1867 Canadian Confederation.

On 1 July 1867, the British North America Act (today known as the Constitution Act, 1867) united the then British colonies of Canada (divided into the provinces of Quebec and Ontario), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick under a single dominion: Canada. Until 1982, the national holiday was known as "Dominion Day".

Today, Canada Day is celebrated across the North American country with outdoor events such as festivals, parades and carnivals, as well as firework displays and concerts. This year, according to international media, some firework displays have been cancelled (e.g. in Montreal) over persistent air quality concerns.

Canadians and Canada Day in Luxembourg

According to STATEC, there were 542 Canadian nationals residing in Luxembourg as of 1 January 2023.

To celebrate Canada Day this year, the Brussels-based Embassy of Canada to Belgium and Luxembourg (there is also an Honorary Consul in the Grand Duchy) organised a formal, invitation-only reception for business and political personalities at a hotel in Luxembourg City on Thursday 29 June 2023.

The private Facebook group "Canadians in Luxembourg" (counting 495 members at the time of writing) traditionally organises its own, less formal gatherings and activities on Canada Day. Past celebrations included soirées with food and drinks and a picnic on scout camping grounds.

This year, about 50 people are expected to gather for the Canadians in Luxembourg Canada Day Patio Party at a restaurant in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg on Saturday evening. In addition to catching up and celebrating their homeland over dinner and drinks, attendees can join an operatic soprano in singing the national anthem, "O Canada". Attendees are also encouraged to wear Canada's national colours: red and white.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu about these "grassroots gatherings" and the meaning of Canada Day for Canadians in the Grand Duchy, Lily Shang, a community organiser for Canadians in Luxembourg, said: "Canada Day in Luxembourg means connecting as a community by spending time with fellow Canucks, bonding over memories of our homeland and making new friends who share certain core Canadian values: multiculturalism, kindness, international engagement."