Canada’s cultural heritage is an incredible mixture of a huge number of national traditions and beliefs of the people who inhabit it.
There is the culture of native Indians, the culture of French and English immigrants, the culture of Arab and Asian immigrants, Celtic culture and many others. Each settler sought to move at least part of his homeland to a new land. And since the recognition of Canada as a confederation, the strengthening of national identity has become an important cultural task.
The cultural life of Canada is, first of all, the most interesting annual festivals and holidays for every taste. Every summer in Montreal, you can visit the world’s largest humorous festival “Festival of Laughter” annually visited by more than two million viewers. In winter, Vancouver hosts a fabulous Canadian holiday dedicated to Christmas – the Festival of Lights. Almost the whole of December, Vancouver, decorated with thousands of lights and garlands, turns into a city from a fairy tale, filled with indescribable romance and magic. Also in winter, a festival takes place in Ottawa, which has become the hallmark of Canada. The festival is called “Winterlude”. The highlight of this holiday is the dog sledding race along the main street. Such races have become a Canadian national sport. Also, within the framework of “Winterlude”, masters who create real masterpieces from ice and snow come to Canada for an international competition from different countries.
Every year in July, the so-called “Calgary Rodeo” takes place in the small Canadian town of Calgary. This cowboy show is called one of the most exciting shows on the planet. The festival program includes detours of horses and bulls, lasso throwing, parades of cowboys and Indians, but the greatest interest of the audience is invariably caused by competitions of wagons loaded to the brim with camping kitchen utensils. It is noteworthy that every year the “Rodeo in Calgary” gathers as many spectators as live in this small town – about 60,000 people.
