La Fête Nationale du Québec - Le St Jean-Baptiste

Yesterday was Québec's national holiday. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste, the celebration has its origins in the feast day of Saint John the Baptist or "Midsummer" and was a very popular event in the ancien régime of France which still holds traditional and identity value for the Québécois. 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. Here are some pictures from the concert, the weather was great this year and the crowd even greater. Our students celebrated comme des Québécois! Be sure to read how they compare the Québec holiday with the American 4th of July in their blogs.