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Different schools of thought on why Canada drapes itself with red and white
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Jun 28, 2024 • 3 minute read
While the Maple Leaf unites Canadians, the red and white hold different meanings in the fashion world and among other cultures, that go beyond patriotic buntings.
While the Maple Leaf unites Canadians, the red and white hold different meanings in the fashion world and among other cultures, that go beyond patriotic buntings.
FREDERICTON — Canada’s unofficial national colours will be on full display Monday as Canadians don patriotic T-shirts, wave hand-held flags and hang bunting to celebrate their country. But while the red-and-white flag for the most part unites Canadians, the colours’ meaning is open to interpretation.
Xavier Gelinas, a curator at the Canadian Museum of History, said there is no authoritative source that explains why the country drapes itself in red and white.
“It has never been stated clearly, explicitly anywhere, that red and white are Canada’s official colours,” he said in a recent interview.
There are several schools of thought about the origins of the country’s colours, he said. Some believe they were gifted to Canada by King George V in 1921.
For about a century, Gelinas said, some believed the red represented the country’s Britishness — as the colour figures prominently in the flag of the United Kingdom — and also energy, life, blood, vigour and the splendour of Canadian autumns. White, he said, was thought to reflect Canada’s hardy, snowy winters.
But what is more likely, he added, is that the red and white “evolved more organically,” with red associated with England and white with France, which also has red and blue in its flag.
The choice of the maple leaf, he said, is far less ambiguous as the tree from which it grows is native to the eastern two-thirds of the country. “A maple leaf represents Canadianness in the way that the rose represents Britain, or the thistle represents Scotland, or the clover represents Ireland.”
The Maple Leaf was raised on Parliament Hill in February 1965, following a proclamation from Queen Elizabeth in January of that year.
Red and white are an interesting combination for several other reasons, said Henry Navarro, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s school of fashion. The white background allows the eye to fully experience the richness and stimulating vitality of the red, he said.
Scientifically speaking, he added, white is the combination of all the colours in the spectrum of light.
“White is not the absence of colour at all, but the presence or reflection of all the colours …. If we extrapolate that in terms of the concept of multiculturalism … that’s the founding idea of the Canadian state.”
Robert Ott, professor of fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Creative School, said red and white are considered a “happy colour combination” and are used in ready-to-wear fashion. But wearing them together, he said, is “considered campy.”
Ott said red is one of the most commonly used colours in sports teams. The combination of red and white has served Canadian athletes well on the international stage, he said. And while a number of countries have red and white in their flags, which can make it challenging to give Canadian athletes a distinct identity, Ott said the official designs for the national team have stood out.
“There is a distinct Canadian identity, either through symbolism, through the maple leaf, or the colours themselves.”
Red, he added, is used more often than white in athlete uniforms because of practical reasons: white clothes show dirt far more easily than red ones do.
Navarro said red and white have varied meanings in different cultures. In the West, he said, red is associated with passion, blood, and energy, while for many Indigenous cultures of the Americas, the colour symbolizes war, Mother Earth, and suffering.
“Red is prominently used as a war paint or within ceremonial practices associated with conflicts and healing,” he said.
In many Eastern cultures, red is a colour associated with celebration and luck, and usually worn by brides.
In the contemporary Eurocentric cultural tradition, he said, white represents purity and peace. But in some Asian cultures, white has been historically associated with death and mourning, he added.
The red and white of the Canadian flag are not unique, with a number of countries including Japan, Denmark, Indonesia and Switzerland displaying those colours, yet they are often associated with Canada, Navarro said.
“These are very generic colours. Yet, that’s the power of Canada’s influence, of soft influence, around the world.”
Gelinas said the Maple Leaf is a symbol of pride for Canadians.
“It’s more of an allegiance to a principle, to the principle of Canada, and especially to the principle of a country, present, past and future, that may be defined in various ways — a multi-ethnic and multicultural country with room for many communities to coexist and to grow.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Jun 28, 2024 • 3 minute read
While the Maple Leaf unites Canadians, the red and white hold different meanings in the fashion world and among other cultures, that go beyond patriotic buntings.
While the Maple Leaf unites Canadians, the red and white hold different meanings in the fashion world and among other cultures, that go beyond patriotic buntings.
FREDERICTON — Canada’s unofficial national colours will be on full display Monday as Canadians don patriotic T-shirts, wave hand-held flags and hang bunting to celebrate their country. But while the red-and-white flag for the most part unites Canadians, the colours’ meaning is open to interpretation.
Xavier Gelinas, a curator at the Canadian Museum of History, said there is no authoritative source that explains why the country drapes itself in red and white.
“It has never been stated clearly, explicitly anywhere, that red and white are Canada’s official colours,” he said in a recent interview.
There are several schools of thought about the origins of the country’s colours, he said. Some believe they were gifted to Canada by King George V in 1921.
For about a century, Gelinas said, some believed the red represented the country’s Britishness — as the colour figures prominently in the flag of the United Kingdom — and also energy, life, blood, vigour and the splendour of Canadian autumns. White, he said, was thought to reflect Canada’s hardy, snowy winters.
But what is more likely, he added, is that the red and white “evolved more organically,” with red associated with England and white with France, which also has red and blue in its flag.
The choice of the maple leaf, he said, is far less ambiguous as the tree from which it grows is native to the eastern two-thirds of the country. “A maple leaf represents Canadianness in the way that the rose represents Britain, or the thistle represents Scotland, or the clover represents Ireland.”
The Maple Leaf was raised on Parliament Hill in February 1965, following a proclamation from Queen Elizabeth in January of that year.
Red and white are an interesting combination for several other reasons, said Henry Navarro, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s school of fashion. The white background allows the eye to fully experience the richness and stimulating vitality of the red, he said.
Scientifically speaking, he added, white is the combination of all the colours in the spectrum of light.
“White is not the absence of colour at all, but the presence or reflection of all the colours …. If we extrapolate that in terms of the concept of multiculturalism … that’s the founding idea of the Canadian state.”
Robert Ott, professor of fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Creative School, said red and white are considered a “happy colour combination” and are used in ready-to-wear fashion. But wearing them together, he said, is “considered campy.”
Ott said red is one of the most commonly used colours in sports teams. The combination of red and white has served Canadian athletes well on the international stage, he said. And while a number of countries have red and white in their flags, which can make it challenging to give Canadian athletes a distinct identity, Ott said the official designs for the national team have stood out.
“There is a distinct Canadian identity, either through symbolism, through the maple leaf, or the colours themselves.”
Red, he added, is used more often than white in athlete uniforms because of practical reasons: white clothes show dirt far more easily than red ones do.
Navarro said red and white have varied meanings in different cultures. In the West, he said, red is associated with passion, blood, and energy, while for many Indigenous cultures of the Americas, the colour symbolizes war, Mother Earth, and suffering.
“Red is prominently used as a war paint or within ceremonial practices associated with conflicts and healing,” he said.
In many Eastern cultures, red is a colour associated with celebration and luck, and usually worn by brides.
In the contemporary Eurocentric cultural tradition, he said, white represents purity and peace. But in some Asian cultures, white has been historically associated with death and mourning, he added.
The red and white of the Canadian flag are not unique, with a number of countries including Japan, Denmark, Indonesia and Switzerland displaying those colours, yet they are often associated with Canada, Navarro said.
“These are very generic colours. Yet, that’s the power of Canada’s influence, of soft influence, around the world.”
Gelinas said the Maple Leaf is a symbol of pride for Canadians.
“It’s more of an allegiance to a principle, to the principle of Canada, and especially to the principle of a country, present, past and future, that may be defined in various ways — a multi-ethnic and multicultural country with room for many communities to coexist and to grow.”
Different schools of thought on why Canada drapes itself with red and white
But while the red-and-white flag for the most part unites Canadians, the colours' meaning is open to interpretation.
I read someplace that the red bars on the Canadian flag were originally intended to be blue, representing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
There were a lot of various designs and colors submitted in Canada's search for a new flag. Lester B Pearson's liberal government settled on the one you see today, the Maple Leaf.
I was 8 years old when the whole school assembled outside on a February morning and sang Oh Canada while our new flag was being raised.
These were the lyrics I was taught as a child. You will notice how the social Engineers have meddled and tampered with them over the decades.
O Canada
Our home and native land
True patriot love
In all thy sons command
With glowing hearts we see the rise
The true north strong and free
And stand on guard O Canada
We stand on guard for thee
O Canada glorious and free
O Canada we stand on guard for thee
O Canada we stand on guard for thee
Simple yes
But I still sing it this way today because I don't care much for social engineers and history tweakers.
This is the version I sing because I learned it as a kid although I remember Trudeau Sr. making this change:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all they sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
I do not acknowledge the change done by the little Truedope.
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all they sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
I do not acknowledge the change done by the little Truedope.
I'm sorry the change to include females hurt you so badly.
NB: I think it's "With glowing hearts we see thee rise," not "the rise."
How about this?
O Westernesse
Our home and native soil
Beer and poutine
And fucking tons of oil!
I honestly don't give a shit.
Sing whatever anthem for Canada that you want. The old one you grew up on, the changed one to be more inclusive.
Getting one's nose bent out of shape over the words to an anthem is something the US "Patriots" do, IMO.
That said:
“O Canada”
“O Canada” is Canada’s national anthem. Originally called “Chant national,” it was written in Québec City by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier (words in Fr...
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
“O Canada” is Canada’s national anthem. Originally called “Chant national,” it was written in Québec City by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier (words in French) and composer Calixa Lavallée (music), and first performed there on 24 June 1880. It began to be sung widely in French Canada at that time and later spread across Canada in various English-language versions, of which the best-known was written by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908. The lyrics of this version were amended several times over the years, with the most recent changes occurring in February 2018; the French lyrics have been shortened but otherwise remain unaltered from the original. “O Canada” was approved as Canada’s national anthem by a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on 15 March 1967. It was officially adopted as Canada’s national anthem under the National Anthem Act on 27 June 1980. The Act was proclaimed by Governor General Edward Schreyer in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill on 1 July 1980.
So yeah, the change in 2018 was only the most RECENT change. The anthem only became official in 1980.
Oh, and the gender neutral language some are freaking out about? Yeah, were IN the original song. So rather it was a 'change back' to that, not a "change from".
It hasn't always been the way you think it has, people.
Want the real "Anthems" - how bout God save the King and The Maple Leaf Forever.
Otherwise, it's just a damned song, sing it however you want.
