Quebec's St-Jean Baptiste Day celebrations return after pandemic hiatus
Quebec residents streamed into local streets, packed outdoor concert venues and geared up for a weekend of in-person celebrations on Friday as they marked the provincial holiday of St-Jean Baptiste Day.
The return to public festivities came after two years worth of broad cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and residents lost no time in getting back into the celebratory spirit.
Tanya Dupont turned up for Friday festivities in Montreal alongside her five-year-old daughter, with the pair sporting matching tank tops featuring Quebec's floral emblem.
"We missed celebrating the St-Jean Baptiste Day," Dupont said. "My daughter was so excited to take her outfit out again!"
A man wears a Quebec flag as he crosses a street during a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day event in Montreal, Friday, June 24, 2022. Quebec is celebrating the St-Jean Baptiste Day, its national holiday, for the first time after most festivities were cancelled for the past two years due to COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Celebrations for the 188th edition of St-Jean Baptiste festivities kicked off with major concerts in Quebec City and Montreal on Thursday evening, where thousands of attendees donned the province's official blue and white colours.
About 5,000 activities across 650 provincial locales have been planned for the long weekend, including several musical performances from prominent Quebec's performers.
Simon Bissonnette, president of organizer Mouvement national des Quebecoises et Quebecois, said this year's holiday feels like a family reunion due to the lifting of public health protocols meant to protect against COVID-19.
"It's a liberation to see people at different sites, without any measures," Bissonnette said.
But this year's celebrations weren't exact clones of past events.
In downtown Montreal, for instance, the traditional parade was replaced with an immersive exhibition of scenes from Quebec's history and culture.
Rather than admiring passing parade floats, attendees were encouraged to circulate among a dozen settings. These included a replica of Quebec's infamous winter complete with real bonfires and the opportunity to roast marshmallows, a traditional sugar shack, and a showcase of photos depicting aspects of the province's history.
Fiver year old Ariane smiles as she holds a balloon during a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day event in Montreal, Friday, June 24, 2022. Quebec is celebrating the St-Jean Baptiste Day, its national holiday, for the first time after most festivities were cancelled for the past two years due to COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Montreal resident Melanie Aubut was all smiles as she watched her seven-year-old daughter run across the street with half her face painted in blue and a "Quebec" tag on her forehead.
"We're also celebrating diversity today," Aubut said. "It's beautiful that we have people with different backgrounds in our city, celebrating together."
She said having the option to walk across the static scenes was perfect to reintroduce the festivities after the pandemic.
"It's less overwhelming or suffocating because there's more space for people," she said. "You can go at your own rhythm, take the time to look."
Simon Dor also took in the sights during an afternoon stroll with family and friends.
"There are several definitions to what it means to be Quebecer," he said. "But we can celebrate no matter what."
Quebec Premier Francois Legault posted a video on Twitter early Friday showing himself humming "Gens du pays" by Quebec Nationalist songwriter Gilles Vigneault, which is frequently sung during birthday celebrations.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also issued a statement in which he celebrated his Quebec heritage and touted the province as a leader in equality, justice and democracy.
"As Quebecers, we can be proud of our history and our beautiful French language," Trudeau said on Friday. "These are the roots of a unique culture that binds us together, from Rimouski to Val--d'Or, from Montreal to Sherbrooke."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2022, with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.