View source for Commonwealth Day

{{Short description|Annual celebration in the Commonwealth of Nations}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|Empire Day}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Commonwealth Day
| type          = International
| longtype      =
| image         = Parliament Square 11 3 09 (3346753423).jpg
| caption       = Flags of member states of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] flying at [[Parliament Square]] in London on Commonwealth Day, 2009
| observedby    = [[Commonwealth of Nations]]
| week_ordinal  = second
| weekday       = Monday
| month         = March
| duration      = 1 day
| scheduling    = nth weekday of the month
| frequency     = Annual
| observances   =
| relatedto     = [[Victoria Day]]/Sovereign's Day{{notetag|Empire Day/Commonwealth Day was formerly held on 24 May, coinciding with Queen Victoria's birthdate, or the weekday that preceded it. In 1977, Commonwealth Day was moved to the second Monday in March, ending its association with Queen Victoria's birthdate. In Belize, Commonwealth Day/Sovereign's Day continued to be observed in May until 2021.}}
}}

'''Commonwealth Day''' is the annual celebration of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select [[Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations|member states of the Commonwealth]], observances of the date are not uniform across the Commonwealth, and the date is not celebrated as a [[public holiday]] in most Commonwealth countries.{{notetag|Tuvalu observes Commonwealth Day as a public holiday. Belize, and select British Overseas Territories, including Gibraltar, also formerly observed Commonwealth Day as a public holiday.}}

The event traces its origins to '''Empire Day''', an event initially conceived to celebrate the [[British Empire]]. It was originally observed on [[Queen Victoria]]'s birthdate, May 24th, or the last weekday before it. In the latter half of the 20th century, the celebration's focus shifted towards emphasising the modern Commonwealth of Nations, with the event being renamed ''Commonwealth Day'' in 1958, and its date moved to the second Monday in March in 1977. 

Commonwealth Day is typically marked by a Commonwealth Day message made by the [[Head of the Commonwealth]], as well as additional statements from the [[Commonwealth Secretary-General]]. Inter-denominational observances are also held in cities across the Commonwealth, including one led by the Head of the Commonwealth at [[Westminster Abbey]] in London and attended by the Commonwealth Secretary-General. 

Flag-raising ceremonies for the [[flag of the Commonwealth of Nations]] are also held in Commonwealth countries. The flags of Commonwealth member states are flown at select locations in the United Kingdom, while the [[Royal Union Flag]] is flown at federal installations in Canada.

==History==
The idea of observing one day each year as a public holiday throughout the [[British Empire]] was first suggested in 1894 and 1895 by Thomas Robinson, the honorary secretary for the [[Royal Colonial Institute]] based in [[Winnipeg]]. Taking up Robinson's suggestion, the Royal Colonial Institute's London council petitioned [[Queen Victoria]] in July 1894, arguing that while other nations had annual national celebrations, the British Empire lacked one. They proposed designating the Queen's birthday for this purpose. In a reply the British prime minister, [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery]], stated that it was a matter not for the government but for the community and pointed out that government departments already observed the Queen's birthday as a holiday.<ref name=reeseorigin>{{cite book |last1=Reese |first1=Trevor Richard |title=The History of the Royal Commonwealth Society 1868–1968 |date=1968 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London |page=153 |isbn=978-0-19-212942-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofroyalco0000rees/page/152/mode/2up?view=theater}}</ref><ref name=hallidayorigin>{{cite news |url=http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-commonwealth-day-unites-people-around-the-world-1.1784845 |title=Commonwealth Day unites people around the world|author=Wendy Halliday |date=7 March 2015 |newspaper=[[Times Colonist]] |access-date=2 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009194725/http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-commonwealth-day-unites-people-around-the-world-1.1784845 |archive-date=9 October 2017 }}</ref> However, the idea quickly gained support from organizations such as the [[British Empire League]] in the 1890s.<ref name="Malcolm">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3633193/Empire-What-empire.html |title=Empire? What empire?|author= Noel Malcolm|date=12 December 2004 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=2 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004125419/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3633193/Empire-What-empire.html |archive-date=4 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="huk">{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Empire-Day/ |title=Empire Day |date=2006 |publisher=Historic UK |access-date=2 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010004611/http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Empire-Day/ |archive-date=10 October 2017 }}</ref> 
[[File:Emipre Day in the Schools of Ontario, 1929 (IA emipredayinschoo00onta).pdf|thumb|School guide for observances of Empire Day in the schools of [[Ontario]] from 1929.]]
The idea to hold an "Empire Day" as a day that would "remind children that they formed part of the [[British Empire]]" also gained support among educations during the 1890s.<ref name="huk"/> Championed by [[Clementina Trenholme]], Empire Day was first observed in [[Ontario]] schools in 1898 and scheduled for the last school day before May 24, Queen Victoria's birthday.<ref name=reeseorigin/><ref name=hallidayorigin/> By the end of the 19th century, Empire Day was also celebrated in [[Cape Colony]] before the [[Second Boer War]] and thereafter throughout the [[Union of South Africa]].<ref name=reeseorigin/><ref name=hallidayorigin/><ref>{{cite book |title=The Emergence of the South African Metropolis: Cities and Identities in the Twentieth Century |last=Bickford-Smith |first=Vivian |year=2016 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-1107002937 |page=70}}</ref> Empire Day was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1904 by [[Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath]], "to nurture a sense of collective identity and imperial responsibility among young empire citizens".<ref>Jim English. ''Empire Day in Britain, 1904–58''. p. 248.</ref> 

After the death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901, her birthday, 24 May, was celebrated from 1902 as ''Empire Day'', though not officially recognised as an annual event until 1916.<ref name="huk"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1916/apr/05/empire-day |title=Empire Day |date=5 April 1916 |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |access-date=3 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009195403/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1916/apr/05/empire-day |archive-date=9 October 2017 }}</ref>{{Deprecated inline|date=November 2021}} In schools, morning lessons were devoted to "exercises calculated to remind (the children) of their mighty heritage".<ref>Earl of Meath, ‘British youth and the empire’,n earl of Meath, Brabazon potpourri (London, 1928), p. 95</ref> The centrepiece of the day was an organised and ritualistic veneration of the Union flag. Schoolchildren were given the afternoon off, and further events were usually held in their local community.<ref name="English2006">{{cite journal |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/empire-day-in-britain-19041958/182AE5D297B87D4F8E437549163BE800 |title=EMPIRE DAY IN BRITAIN, 1904–1958|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=24 February 2006|author=Jim English  |journal=[[The Historical Journal]]|volume=49|issue=1|access-date=17 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010004424/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/empire-day-in-britain-19041958/182AE5D297B87D4F8E437549163BE800 |archive-date=10 October 2017 }}</ref>  

After the [[First World War]], the jingoism was toned down in favour of sombre [[Memorialization|commemoration]] in the festival.<ref name="English2006"/> In 1925, 90,000 people attended an Empire Day thanksgiving service held at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] as part of the [[British Empire Exhibition]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Conservative Party and the Extreme Right 1945–1975 |last=Pitchford |first=Mark |year=2011 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |location=Vancouver |isbn=978-0719083631 |page=82}}</ref> However, Empire Day became more of a sombre commemoration in the aftermath of World War I, and politically partisan in the United Kingdom as the Labour Party passed a resolution in 1926 to prevent the further celebration of Empire Day.<ref name="English2006"/>

{{Blockquote|text=The Conservative party and other groups adopted Empire Day as a vehicle for anti-socialist propaganda, whilst the communist party exploited it as an opportunity to attack British imperialism. Other protests came from local Labour groups and pacifist dissenters. The overt politicization of Empire Day severely disrupted its hegemonic function and the political battles fought over the form and purpose of the celebrations made it difficult to uphold the notion that the festival was merely a benign tribute to a legitimate and natural state of affairs.}}

===Change in name and date===
After [[World War II]], the event fell into rapid decline. On 18 December 1958, Prime Minister [[Harold Macmillan]] announced in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] that the name of Empire Day would be changed to Commonwealth Day.<ref name="English2006"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Britain and the World since 1945 |last=Blair |first=Alasdair |year=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=London |isbn=978-1408248294 |page=11}}<br>- {{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |title=Commonwealth Day |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/1958-12-18/debates/cb6e6778-7c11-4929-895e-674339b8a602/CommonwealthDay?highlight=%22empire%20day%22#contribution-5a7e98c3-99b7-40f3-8bb0-f124fa143382 |house=House of Commons |date=18 December 1958 |column=467 |speaker=[[Alec Douglas-Home|The Earl of Home]] |position=[[Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations]]}}</ref>
[[File:Commonwealth Day Canada 14 March 1983 (40699768595).jpg|thumb|A Canadian [[postmark]] issued on Commonwealth Day 1983]]
In 1973, the National Council in Canada of the [[Royal Commonwealth Society]] submitted a proposal to Canadian Prime Minister [[Pierre Elliot Trudeau]] that Commonwealth Day should be observed simultaneously throughout the Commonwealth of Nations. The proposal was included in the Canadian items for inclusion in the agenda for the [[1975 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]]. After the meeting, it was agreed that the [[Commonwealth Secretariat]] would select a date with no historical connotations so that the entire Commonwealth could use it as a date to celebrate Commonwealth Day. At a meeting in [[Canberra]] in May 1976, senior Commonwealth officials agreed on a new fixed date for Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March.<ref name=canada>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/important-commemorative-days/commonwealth-day.html|title=Commonwealth Day|date=24 October 2018|access-date=19 February 2023|website=www.canada.ca|publisher=Government of Canada}}</ref> The second Monday of March was selected by Commonwealth leaders as it was a day when most schools would be in session, facilitating student participation in several Commonwealth-related activities, including mini-[[Commonwealth Games]], simulated [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]], and studies and celebrations on the geography, ecology, products or societies of other Commonwealth countries.<ref name=observanceuk>{{cite web|url=https://www.commonwealthofnations.org/commonwealth/commonwealth-day/|title=Commonwealth Day|publisher=Commonwealth Network|access-date=17 August 2021|year=2020|website=www.commonwealthofnations.org}}</ref>

==Observance==
[[File:King George VI delivering a radio broadcast to the Empire on Empire Day, Winnipeg, Manitoba - Le roi George VI diffusant un message à la radio aux sujets de l'Empire britannique le jour de l'Empire, Winnipeg (Manitoba) (38766480811).jpg|thumb|[[King George VI]] gives his Empire Day address in [[Winnipeg]], 1939.]]
Commonwealth Day is held on the second Monday in March.<ref name=caribsour>{{cite news |url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/13/its-commonwealth-day-which-countries-are-in-the-commonwealth-and-what-is-the-flag-6506446/ |title=It's Commonwealth Day: which countries are in the Commonwealth and what is the flag? |author=Imogen Groome|date=13 March 2017 |newspaper=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009195031/http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/13/its-commonwealth-day-which-countries-are-in-the-commonwealth-and-what-is-the-flag-6506446/ |archive-date=9 October 2017 }}</ref><ref name=OU>{{cite book |url=http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/commonwealth-day |date=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press|title=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary |access-date=17 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009195025/http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/commonwealth-day |archive-date=9 October 2017 }}</ref> However, there is not a uniform observance of the day worldwide.<ref name=canada/>

On the day, the [[Head of the Commonwealth]] broadcasts a message throughout the entire Commonwealth of Nations. The broadcast is addressed to the people of the Commonwealth, and not to specific governments. Past Commonwealth Day messages by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] are themed after an issue of importance to the Commonwealth which she thinks people can have an impact on. In some [[Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations|member states of the Commonwealth]], the message is sometimes augmented by an address from a member country's president, prime minister, or another senior minister. The [[Commonwealth Secretary-General]] also issues a statement on the day, which is read on the radio or published in some Commonwealth countries.<ref name=observanceuk/>

Several cities throughout the Commonwealth host multi-cultural and inter-denominational services to mark the day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4577/commonwealth-day-celebrated-around-the-world|title=Commonwealth Day celebrated around the world|date=13 March 2023|access-date=23 February 2024|publisher=Coventry City Council|website=www.coventry.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecommonwealth.org/news/commonwealth-day-celebrated-around-globe|title=Commonwealth Day celebrated around the globe|website=thecommonwealth.org|date=9 March 2019|access-date=23 February 2024|publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat}}</ref> Flag-raising ceremonies for the [[flag of the Commonwealth of Nations]] are also held in several Commonwealth countries.<ref name=cmfmag>{{cite web|url=https://www.cmfmag.ca/events/celebrating-the-commonwealth/|date=16 March 2023|title=Celebrating the Commonwealth|website=www.cmfmag.ca|last=Rehman|first=Mishall|publisher=Canadian Military Family Magazine}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
On Commonwealth Day, flags of the member states of the Commonwealth of Nations are flown in [[Parliament Square]] and at [[Marlborough House]].<ref name=observanceuk/> The [[flag of the United Kingdom]] is flown from UK public buildings on the second Monday in March to mark Commonwealth Day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-02-11/224329 |title=Commonwealth:Written question – 224329 |date=2015 |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009194043/http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-02-11/224329 |archive-date=9 October 2017 }}</ref> Flag flying guidelines for the Scottish Government and its related agencies also advises the flying of the flags of the Commonwealth of Nations and [[flag of Scotland|Scotland]] on the date, only if the building has two or more flagpoles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.scot/publications/flag-flying-on-government-buildings/|title=Flag flying on government buildings: 2024|date=11 December 2023|access-date=23 February 2024|website=www.govt.scot|publisher=Scottish Government}}</ref>
[[File:Boris Johnson speaks at Westminster Abbey on 2020 Commonwealth Day.jpg|thumb|[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Boris Johnson]] speaking at Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day 2020]]
In London, an inter-denominational service is led by the Head of the Commonwealth at [[Westminster Abbey]]. During the service, representatives of Commonwealth countries offer the flags of member states for blessing.<ref name=observanceuk/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westminster-abbey.org/events/commonwealth-national-days |title=Commonwealth National Days |date=2017 |publisher=[[Westminster Abbey]] |access-date=2 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009194024/http://www.westminster-abbey.org/events/commonwealth-national-days |archive-date=9 October 2017 }}</ref> A reception hosted by the Commonwealth Secretary-General is held after the service.<ref>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/QueenandCommonwealth/CommonwealthDay.aspx Commonwealth Day] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311225144/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/QueenandCommonwealth/CommonwealthDay.aspx |date=11 March 2015}}<br>- {{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/9927341/Queen-Elizabeth-II-the-most-dutiful-monarch-in-a-thousand-years.html |title=Queen Elizabeth II: the most present monarch in a thousand years |author=Harry Mount|date=13 March 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009195032/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/9927341/Queen-Elizabeth-II-the-most-dutiful-monarch-in-a-thousand-years.html |archive-date=9 October 2017}}</ref> A wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the sacrifice of Commonwealth soldiers at London's [[Commonwealth Memorial Gates]] is attended by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, and is held before the service at Westminster Abbey.<ref name=cmfmag/><ref name="thecommonwealth.org">{{Cite web|url=https://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/memorial-gates-falls-silent-remember-commonwealth-soldiers|title=Memorial Gates falls silent to remember Commonwealth soldiers |date=11 March 2019 |publisher=The Commonwealth|access-date=23 October 2019}}<br>- {{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-valiant-troops-of-the-world-wars-celebrated-this-commonwealth-day|title=The valiant troops of the world wars celebrated this Commonwealth Day|publisher=Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, UK|date=9 March 2015|access-date=23 October 2019}}</ref> 

Several other events, such as the Commonwealth Africa Summit, also take place around the United Kingdom on Commonwealth Day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/africa/commonwealth-africa-summit-focuses-youth-gender-equality|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023221332/https://www.voanews.com/africa/commonwealth-africa-summit-focuses-youth-gender-equality|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 October 2019|title=Commonwealth Africa Summit Focuses on Youth, Gender Equality|author=Henry Ridgwell|date=14 March 2018 |website=Voice of America|access-date=23 October 2019}}<br>- {{Cite web|url=https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/flag-raised-in-grantham-to-celebrate-commonwealth-day-9064086/|title=Flag raised in Grantham to celebrate Commonwealth Day|date=11 March 2019|website=Grantham Journal|access-date=23 October 2019}}</ref>

====British Overseas Territories====
Commonwealth Day was formerly celebrated as a public holiday in several [[British Overseas Territories]]. The day was observed as a school holiday in [[British Hong Kong]] before the [[handover of Hong Kong|handover of the territory]] from the United Kingdom to China in 1997.<ref name="McAlpine">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/03/5-things-happened-commonwealth-day |title=5 Things That Happened Because it is Commonwealth Day|author=Fraser McAlpine |date=2015 |website=[[BBC America]] |access-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009194543/http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/03/5-things-happened-commonwealth-day |archive-date=9 October 2017 }}</ref> The date was also formerly observed as a public holiday in [[Gibraltar]].<ref name="Gib2002">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1870747.stm |title=The rocky road to Spain |date=13 March 2002 |work=[[BBC News]]|author= Catherine Miller |access-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218073355/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1870747.stm |archive-date=18 February 2006 }}</ref> In 2021, the holiday was moved to February instead of March.<ref name="Gib2021">{{cite web |title=Bank And Public Holidays Order 2021 (Holidays for 2022) |date=21 October 2021 |url=https://www.gibraltarlaws.gov.gi/legislations/bank-and-public-holidays-order-2021-6286/version/21-10-2021/download |publisher=Gibraltar Laws}}</ref> In 2022, Commonwealth Day was no longer listed as a public holiday in Gibraltar, with the February public holiday replaced by the Winter Midterm Bank Holiday.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/press-releases/bank-and-public-holidays-2022-7603|title=Bank and Public Holidays 2022|date=18 January 2022|website=www.gibraltar.gov.gi|publisher=HM Government of Gibraltar|access-date=23 February 2024}}</ref> Although the event is no longer a public holiday, the [[Government of Gibraltar]] continues to mark Commonwealth Day through various events.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gibraltar marks Commonwealth Day - 163/2024 |url=https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/press-releases/gibraltar-marks-commonwealth-day-1632024-9709 |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Government of Gibraltar |language=en}}</ref>

===Australia===
[[File:St John's Anglican Cathedral Commonwealth Day 373 Ann St Brisbane P1110663.jpg|thumb|Commonwealth Day 2011 service at [[St John's Cathedral (Brisbane)|St John's Cathedral]] in [[Brisbane]].]]
Commonwealth Day is observed by Australian state governors and the [[Governor-General of Australia|governor-general]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-13 |title=Governor attends Commonwealth Day multi-faith service |url=https://www.govhouse.qld.gov.au/government-house/office-of-the-governor/news-and-publications/latest-news/governor-attends-commonwealth-day-multi-faith-service |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Government House Queensland |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=13 March 2023 |title=Commonwealth Day 2023 congregation |url=https://govhouse.wa.gov.au/2023/03/commonwealth-day-2023-congreagation/ |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=Government House Western Australia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 March 2024 |title=A message from His Majesty The King for Commonwealth Day |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/about-governor-general/media/message-his-majesty-king-commonwealth-day |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref> The Commonwealth Day Council of New South Wales holds an annual lunch in the presence of its patron, the [[governor of New South Wales|governor]], at [[Parliament House, Sydney]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Council |url=http://www.commday.org.au/about-the-council/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Commonwealth Day Council of NSW |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth Day Lunch |url=http://www.commday.org.au/events/commonwealth-day-lunch/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Commonwealth Day Council of NSW |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Bahamas===
In The Bahamas, Commonwealth Day [[School assembly|school assemblies]] involving flag-raising ceremonies are held.<ref name="McAlpine"/>

===Belize===
[[File:Commonwealth Day parade 2019.jpg|thumb|Commonwealth Day/Sovereign's Day parade in [[Belize City]], 2019]]
In Belize, Commonwealth Day was also known as Sovereign's Day and was formerly celebrated as a public holiday in May. The holiday was originally celebrated in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday, although it was later set aside to recognise and celebrate the importance of being part of the Commonwealth of Nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2020/05/25/belize-commemorates-sovereigns-day-commonwealth-day/|title=Belize commemorates Sovereign's Day/Commonwealth Day|date=25 May 2020|access-date=23 February 2024|website=www.breakingbelizenews.com|publisher=Breaking Belize News}}</ref> In 2021, Sovereign's Day was removed from the government's official list of public and bank holidays.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2022/05/20/monday-nor-tuesday-is-a-holiday-commonwealth-or-sovereigns-day-is-history/|title=Monday nor Tuesday is a holiday – Commonwealth or Sovereign's day is history|date=20 May 2022|access-date=10 April 2023|website=www.breakingbelizenews.com|publisher=Breaking Belize News|last=O'Brien|first=Hugh}}</ref>

===Canada===
[[File:Ottawa on Commonwealth Day (March 14) 2022.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Union Flag#Canada|Royal Union Flag]]s flown alongside the [[flag of Canada]] in [[Ottawa]] on Commonwealth Day 2022]]
In Canada, the federal government directs that the [[Union Flag#Canada|Royal Union Flag]] be flown alongside the [[flag of Canada]] at federal installations nationwide where at least two flag poles are present.<ref name="UK Flag">{{cite web|url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/jdn-nfd/hist/voice-voix-eng.cfm |title=Canadian Heritage – National Flag Day – Giving Canada Its Own Voice |publisher=Pch.gc.ca |date= |accessdate=19 May 2013}}</ref> The requirement to fly the Royal Union Flag on certain days, including Commonwealth Day, stems from a 1964 parliamentary resolution following the adoption of flag of Canada, which retained the Royal Union Flag as an official symbol of the country's Commonwealth membership and allegiance to the Crown.<ref name="UK Flag"/><ref>{{cite book |title=The Other Quiet Revolution: National Identities in English Canada, 1945–71 |last=Igartua |first=José E. |year=2007 |publisher=[[University of British Columbia Press|UBC Press]] |location=Vancouver |isbn=978-0774810913 |page=181}}</ref>

From 1898 to 1976, Empire Day/Commonwealth Day was observed on an ad hoc basis in conjunction with [[Victoria Day]], a federal statutory holiday in May that also serves as the [[King's Official Birthday|sovereign's official birthday]] in Canada.<ref name=canada/><ref name=celebcan>{{cite book|title=Celebrating Canada: Holidays, National Days, and the Crafting of Identities|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2017|last1=Hayday|first1=Matthew|last2=Blake|first2=Raymond B.|isbn=978-1442621541|page=89}}</ref> Empire Day/Commonwealth Day was held on the weekday before Victoria Day and was not intended to be a general holiday in itself, but a day to provide schools and civic institutions the opportunity to implement activities and lessons on Canada and the British Empire.<ref name=celebcan/> In 1977, Commonwealth Day was moved to the second Monday in March, in line with the rest of the Commonwealth of Nations.<ref name=canada/>

===Tuvalu===
Commonwealth Day is observed as a [[Public holidays in Tuvalu|public holiday in Tuvalu]], as legislated in the country's ''Public Holidays Act''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tuvalu-legislation.tv/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/1937/1937-0005/PublicHolidays_1.pdf|title=Public Holiday Act|website=tuvalu-legislation.tv|access-date=23 February 2024|year=2008}}</ref>

==Commonwealth Day themes==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|-
! scope=col| Year 
! scope=col| Theme<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://thecommonwealth.org/theme |title=Commonwealth theme for the year |publisher=The Commonwealth|year=2021 |access-date=17 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126091800/http://thecommonwealth.org:80/theme |archive-date=26 January 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| 1995 || Our Commonwealth Neighbourhood – Working Together for Tolerance and Understanding
|-
| 1996 || Our Working Partnership
|-
| 1997 || Talking to One Another
|-
| 1998 || Sport Brings Us Together
|-
| 1999 || Music
|-
| 2000 || Sharing Knowledge – The Communications Challenge
|-
| 2001 || A New Generation
|-
| 2002 || Diversity
|-
| 2003 || Partners in Development
|-
| 2004 || Building a Commonwealth of Freedom
|-
| 2005 || Education – Creating Opportunity, Realising Potential
|-
| 2006 || Health and Vitality
|-
| 2007 || Respecting Difference, Promoting Understanding
|-
| 2008 || The Environment, Our Future
|-
| 2009 || Commonwealth@60 – Serving a New Generation
|-
| 2010 || Science, Technology and Society
|-
| 2011 || Women as Agents of Change
|-
| 2012 || Connecting Cultures
|-
| 2013 || Opportunity through Enterprise
|-
| 2014 || Team Commonwealth
|-
| 2015 || A Young Commonwealth
|-
| 2016 || An Inclusive Commonwealth
|-
| 2017 || A Peace-building Commonwealth
|-
| 2018 || Towards A Common Future
|-
| 2019 || A Connected Commonwealth
|-
| 2020 || Delivering a Common Future
|-
| 2021 || Delivering a Common Future
|-
|2022 || Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming
|-
|2023 || Forging a Sustainable and Peaceful Common Future
|-
|2024 || One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth
|-
|2025 || Together We Thrive
|}

==See also==
* [[Empire Air Day]]

==Notes==
{{notefoot}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
* [http://thecommonwealth.org/commonwealthday/ Commonwealth Day] – Commonwealth of Nations 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW7qMGZGcoQ C. 1917 Pathé News view of Empire Day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYrnAMqH6iw 1919 Pathé News views of Empire Day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCKj8BEgYRg 1922 Pathé News view of Empire Day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G67IiclIcJM British Movietone News 1930 view of Empire Day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA72ygM6Qpc 1931 Pathé News view of Empire Day]
* [https://www.britishpathe.com/video/empire-day 1933 Pathé News view of Empire Day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6UGqge7RFU 1934 Pathé News view of Empire Day]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZLOsR0f4WA HM King George VI: Empire Day Address, 24 May 1940]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8JTJFQvtso The Queen's Commonwealth Day Message 2011]

{{Commonwealth of Nations topics}}
{{Queen Victoria}}

{{authority control}}

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