Grandma and her boys

Sunday 6 June 2010

Confused about Queen's Birthday?

I have had many emails and comments on what is Queen's birthday?
so I looked it up for you and found the following.

Confused about Queen's Birthday? You're not the only one! The Queen's Official Birthday is celebrated on a different day in each of her countries - and in neither of them is it a static date! While New Zealand history traditionally celebrates the birth of The Queen on the first Monday in June each year,
The Queen was born on April 21, 1926 - but The Queen's official birthday is celebrated in New Zealand on the first Monday in June. Confused? Let's add a little more oddity to the mix: in Australia it is celebrated on the second Monday in June, in the UK on either the first, second or third Saturday in June, and in Canada on or the Monday before May 24. Let's start at the beginning...

The origins of the Sovereign's Birthday:
The tradition of having an official Queen's Birthday date begun centuries ago for practical reasons. Monarchs whose birthdays fell during the British winter months often stumbled upon problems due to the cold, wet weather. "Don't rain on my parade" would certainly have been an appropriate saying, as foul English weather often would spoil the many marches, parades and other outdoor celebrations to commemorate the birth of the Sovereign.
Several succeeding Sovereigns had their birthdays during the warmer months of the year, however the tradition was reinstalled by The Queen's father, King George VI.
The Queen's Birthday in England
Queen's Birthday is an honoured day throughout Britain, celebrated with the Trooping the Colour ceremony. This ceremony, also called the Queen's Birthday Parade, allows the Household Division - the most elite or historically senior military units of Britain - to pay personal tribute by displaying their colours, or flags, in an outdoor parade. The Queen arrived at her first official Trooping the Colour parade in 1952 on horseback, and did so for over 40 years until her last beloved horse passed away. She has attended via car since the mid-1990s.
Though Queen's Birthday is such a celebrated day in Britain, as it falls on a weekend day rather than a working day, it is not a public holiday. However, those who work in the public sector are awarded a ‘privilege day' at this time of year to allow them a long weekend.

The Queen's Birthday in New Zealand

While commonwealth countries New Zealand and Australia are both in the Southern Hemisphere, Queen's Birthday is still celebrated about the same time as in the Northern Hemisphere, which happens to be in our winter. This is done to avoid further confusion, and is not seen a problem as parades and other large commemorative events do not traditionally occur for this holiday on the southern side of the globe.
 The Queen's Official Birthday in New Zealand often celebrates the official opening of ski season, as June is the first month of winter. In accordance with the Holidays Act, all of New Zealand's working public are entitled to a paid day off, or paid day in lieu on this day


The Queen's official birthday is a public holiday in Gibraltar and most other British overseas territories, but in 2008, the Government of Bermuda decided that it would cease to be a public holiday in 2009, despite protests from people on the island, who signed a petition calling for its retention.
 In the Falkland Islands, the actual day of the Queen's birth, 21 April, is celebrated, as June is a late autumn and winter month in the Islands.
It ceased to be a public holiday in Hong Kong after the territory's handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997.
Fiji also still celebrates the Queen's Official Birthday, along with the Prince of Wale's Birthday, since although the Queen ceased to be head of state in 1987, she remains recognised by the Great Council of Chiefs as traditional Queen or paramount chief of Fiji.

If you are still confused it is no wonder really ... and you are forgiven...

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