- Queen's Official Birthday
:"The Queen" in this article means the monarch of the
Commonwealth Realms "The Queen's Official Birthday (sometimes known as "the Queen's Birthday") is celebrated as a public
holiday in 53 Commonwealth countries—usuallyCommonwealth Realm s, although it is also celebrated inFiji , now arepublic . The word "Queen" in the name of the celebration is replaced by "King" when appropriate. The exact date of the celebration varies from country to country, and it does not usually mark the real birthday of the sovereign (the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was born on21 April 1926 ). Most Commonwealth Realms release a Birthday Honours List at this time.United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom , the Queen's Official Birthday is now celebrated on the first, second, or thirdcite web |url= http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp |title= One Queen, Two Birthdays |format=html |work= royal.gov.uk, the Official Website of the British Monarchy |quote= The Queen celebrates her actual birthday on 12 April. She also celebrates her official birthday on either the first or the second, and sometimes the third, Saturday in June. ] Saturday in June, and is marked in London by the ceremony ofTrooping the Colour , which is also known as theQueen's Birthday Parade . Edward VII (who reigned 1901–1910) moved the ceremony to that date in the hope of good weather.The list of Birthday Honours is also announced at the time of the UK Official Birthday celebrations. In British diplomatic missions the day is treated as the
National Day of the United Kingdom. Although it is not celebrated as a public holiday in the UK (as it is not a working day), civil servants are given a "privilege day" at this time of year, which is merged with the SpringBank Holiday (last Monday in May) to create a long weekend.Australia
Australia (exceptWestern Australia ), observes the Queen's Birthday on the second Monday in June, marking it with a public holiday that also serves as the opening weekend to Australia's snow season, though it is quite common for there to be no ski-worthy snow until later in the month. Because Western Australia celebrates its Foundation Day on the first Monday in June, theGovernor of Western Australia proclaims the day on which the state will observe the Queen's Birthday, based on school terms and thePerth Royal Show . [ [http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/ Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, Labour Relations division] ] There is no firm rule to determine this date before it is proclaimed, though it is typically the last Monday of September or the first Monday of October.The day has been celebrated since 1878, when Governor
Arthur Phillip declared a holiday to mark the birthday of King George III. Until 1963 it was held on the actual birthday of the Monarch, but after the death of King George V it was decided to keep the date at mid-year.The only civic occasion of note associated with the day is the release of the "Queen's Birthday honours list," in which new members of the
Order of Australia and other Australian honours are named. This occurs on the date observed in the Eastern States, not the date observed in Western Australia. TheAustralian Football League clubsCollingwood Magpies andMelbourne Demons traditionally play a match at theMelbourne Cricket Ground .The Queen's Birthday weekend and
Empire Day ,24 May , were long the traditional times for publicfirework s displays in Australia. Although they still occur, the tradition has recently been overshadowed by largerNew Year's Eve fireworks, as the sale of fireworks to the public was progressively banned by the states in the 1980s. The sale of fireworks in theAustralian Capital Territory is only legal during the Queen's Birthday weekend. [ [http://www.workcover.act.gov.au/docs/fireworks.htm ACT Workcover - Fireworks] ]Canada
According to the legislation creating
Victoria Day ,Canada celebrates the Queen's official birthday that general holiday, the Monday on or before24 May . However, it is not widely known that Victoria Day is intended to honour the current queen as well as Queen Victoria, who was born May 24, 1819. For Canadians in the warmest regions, Victoria Day is sometimes considered the beginning of summer, when theme parks and outdoor pools are opened, and other summer activities begin.Other countries and territories
In
New Zealand , the holiday is the first Monday in June, and owing to the climate being colder than Australia's, usually serves as the opening weekend to the country's ski season.The Queen's official birthday is a public holiday in
Gibraltar andBermuda , and most otherBritish overseas territories . Against the wishes of its people, the Bermuda Government decided thatBermuda will observe the Queen's Birthday holiday for the last time in 2008. In theFalkland Islands , the actual day of the Queen's birth,April 21 , 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 thePeople's Republic of China in 1997.Fiji also still celebrates the Queen's Official Birthday, along with the Prince of Wales's Birthday, since although the Queen ceased to be head of state in 1987, she remains recognised asParamount Chief of Fiji .See also
*
Trooping the Colour
*Grand Duke's Official Birthday , a similar celebration in Luxembourg
*Koninginnedag , a similar celebration in the NetherlandsReferences
External links
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2001/birthday_honours_2001/1390951.stm BBC News article of 2001 about the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the UK]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.