Sunday, June 24, 2012

La Fête de la Saint-Jean

This weekend is La Fète Nationale du Québec - la Saint Jean Baptiste, le 24 juin.  This holiday is completely different from Canada Day, which is celebrated on July 1 each year.   The Province of Québec makes a much bigger deal out of June 24 and Québec City hosts an outdoor concert on the Plains of Abraham, site of the defeat of the French by the English in 1759.

The feast day of Saint John the Baptist or "Midsummer" was a very popular event in the ancien régime of France and holds traditional and identity value for the Québécois.

Here are some pictures from the concert, the weather was great this year and the crowd even greater.  The student demonstrations the day before did not put a damper on the festivities.  Students have been protesting tuition hikes for about three months in the province, with no end in sight.  La Fête Nationale provided a day to come together, despite differences.





Vive le Québec!

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