This year’s edition of Winterlude, Ottawa’s winter festival, will feature some nation-building celebrations that are sure to warm hearts with pride – despite the frigid temperatures.
Aside from the usual ice sculptures, outdoor entertainment and BeaverTails, the festival will be highlighting the bicentennial of the birth of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and the 50th anniversary of the country’s maple leaf flag.
The Jan. 30-Feb. 16 festival will also mark the 45th anniversary of the world’s largest skating rink: the Rideau Canal Skateway.
During Winterlude’s two and a half weeks of festivities, run by the Department of Canadian Heritage, new events will be included to commemorate these special occasions.
The Scottish-born Macdonald, a leading father of Confederation and the face of the Canadian 10-dollar bill, was born Jan. 10 or 11, 1815.
Though his birth date fell earlier in the month, it will be celebrated on Jan. 31 with a parade of tartans gliding down the canal.
“We thought it appropriate to celebrate him as a great Canadian and a great Scot, so we combined kilt-wearing and skating – both iconic, visible activities of both cultures,” says Tracy Cook, a member of the Scottish Society of Ottawa.
Skaters throughout the city are invited to sport their finest kilts and tartans, and make their way down the canal from Fifth Avenue to the National Arts Centre. The skate will take place from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and is also being held in Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary.
“We’ve just closed an agreement with the (Royal Canadian) Mint, so anybody who does arrive in a kilt and their skates at the canal will be given a Sir John A. Macdonald commemorative toonie,” says Cook.
The Scottish fun will continue after the skating and toonie collecting in Confederation Park on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 – where there will be music, dancing and enough of Sir John’s birthday cake to go around.
But that will not be the only time to celebrate in Confederation Park this season. On Feb. 15 at 10:30 a.m., there will be a special flag raising ceremony in the park to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the current Canadian flag.
Prior to the ceremony, the flag will be celebrated all day, every day of Winterlude. A special ice sculpture will be featured in the park, along with a photo exhibit on the subject of the flag, commemorating this national red and white symbol.
“Commemorations are always moments of political debate,” says Dominique Marshall, professor of history at Carleton University. “Commemoration is a time to remember, but it’s also a time to discuss what we’re remembering.
“Remembering involves a kind of bringing in the present, a history in which we have to talk now . . .What does that flag mean now?”
Visitors at Confederation Park will be encouraged to take smartphone selfies with the flag in the background and post them on social media with the hashtag #flag50. Through this medium, they can share what the Canadian flag means to them.
The last of the anniversaries to be celebrated is the skateway itself. Though no celebrations will be occurring directly in conjunction with Winterlude, the National Capital Commission says it hopes to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the skateway sometime during the skating season.
“The NCC is currently discussing different ways to highlight the 45th season,” says NCC communications officer Jasmine Leduc.”Something visual, going back in time, talking about how the NCC’s expertise in maintaining the Rideau Canal Skateway has evolved… all things like that.
“It would be something informal with some support on social media.”
Though no plans have yet been confirmed, Leduc says those looking to honour the skateway can turn to the NCC’s Twitter page for updates. Tweet @NCC_CCN for suggestions on how to commemorate this staple of Canadian tourism.
In case no commemoration of the skateway comes about, Winterlude has another way for visitors to celebrate this popular Canadian sport. One of the themes of Winterlude 2015, alongside the bicentennial of Macdonald and the anniversary of the flag, is the Year of Sport in Canada.
According to Denise Leblanc, communications advisor at the Department of Canadian Heritage, says guests will find the theme running throughout the programming. She says they will be able to see their favourite Canadian sports celebrated through the ice carvings, the snow sculptures and the public art exhibits.
“We are also planning special activities to highlight the Canada Winter Games, FIFA and Pan Am/Para Pan Am games,” says Leblanc.
“All of these themes will be front and centre during Winterlude’s opening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 30, beginning at 7 p.m. in Confederation Park.”