EVENTS: Family Day Celebrations, Purpose, Establishment, Family Day History, Countries Celebration.

Family Day

•We all know how family means to us.
•It is the most important part of our life.
•Thus, in various countries, in honor to the family day is celebrated.

Countries Celebrate Family Day

•Few countries celebrate Family Day as an official holiday.
•Those countries are:
•Australian Capital Territory with the name of "Family & Community Day"
•South Africa,
•Different provinces of Canada:
•Alberta
•Ontario
•Manitoba
•Saskatchewan

Family Day Celebration in Australia

When is it celebrated?

•With the name of "Family & Community Day", it is celebrated in Australia on the first Tuesday of November.
•This celebration also collides with Melbourne Cup.

When was it established?

•This public holiday took birth in the year 2007 under section 3(1)(b) of the Holidays Act 1953 (ACT).
•Again, it is expected to get the declaration in the year 2008.

Purpose of celebration

•According to Mr. Andrew Barr who is the ACT Minister for Industrial Relations narrated in his speech during Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly that :
•"...to enable workers to take a break from their hectic working lives and to spend some quality time with their family and friends. ... Australians do work the longest hours of any country in the western world. We do deserve a break."

Family day Celebration in South Africa

•In South Africa, Family day took its shape from the Easter Monday from the year 1995.
•It particularly came to the picture on 9th April in the year 2007.

Family day Celebration in Canada

•In Canada, there is merely any existence of federally-established and officially declared Family Day.
•But some provinces have declared Third Monday of February as the statutory holiday for celebrating family day.
•This day also collides with US holiday for “Presidents Day”.

History of Family day Celebration in Alberta

•Family Day was firstly celebrated in the year 1990.
•Alberta was the first province in Canada where the declaration of statutory holiday in the month of February took place.
•This statutory holiday was the resultant effort of Lieutenant Governor Helen Hunley with the fair advice of his premier, Mr. Don Getty.
•The fact behind Don Getty’s advice was that his son, Dale Getty caught red handed as the victim of drug addiction and cocaine consumption.
•With the sheer embarrassment, Don Getty confessed that he neglected his family and this is the ugly return of it.
•He personally felt the importance of family in his life and thus advised the Governor to declare this Family Day
•But due to personal reason, the step of Mr. Getty was not taken with good eyes.
•He was criticized and declaring the family day as a statutory holiday was felt as fiscal burden to the society.
•Along with that, the heritage day was degraded as the civic day on which employers are not required to heed attention to it under Alberta Law.


History of Family Day in Manitoba

•In the month of February of the year 2007, it was said that the government of Manitoba had also proclaimed it as a February holiday.
•3rd Monday during the month of February was declared as a statutory holiday which was passed by Legislative Assembly of Manitoba on 17th April in the year 2007.
•This day was declared as Louis Riel Day,
•It was after the name of a Métis leader who is also known as the Father of Manitoba and this name was suggested by Manitoba school students
•Louis Riel Day was firstly celebrated on 18th February, 2008.

History of Family Day in Ontario

•Family Day celebration at Ontario takes place during 3rd Monday of February
•It was built as a statutory holiday on 11th October, 2007,
•Then in the year 2007 fall during Ontario election campaign, re-election of Premier Dalton McGuinty took place.
•This was firstly taken birth on 18th February, 2008.
•Establishment of it increased the number of public holidays to nine per year in Ontario.
•But as it is not declared at the Federal level, thus, all Federal employees like public servants and postal workers will have to work on this day.

History of Family Day in Saskatchewan

•During the month of October in the year 2006, Premier of Saskatchewan advised for the holiday for the province.
•The bill for the Labor Standards Amendment Act, 2006, was initiated in the legislature on 1st November in the year, 2006, and then it acquired its Royal Assent on 6th December.
•This act officially proclaims that the 3rd Monday of each February as the Family Day
•Fortunately, it came into force almost immediately
•Family Day was firstly celebrated in Saskatchewan on 19th February, 2007.