Canada is the only country that sets aside an official day to remember Queen Victoria’s birthday, May 24th. Apparently we were doing this well before we became a country; in fact Upper Canada passed legislation about it back in 1845. I could understand that if we were living when she was alive, but our ancestors chose to keep the holiday even after she died in 1901. Why? She was the Queen at Confederation in 1867; she holds the record as the longest-reigning monarch (63 years); and she symbolizes the glories of the Victorian age. But in our northern country the holiday has come to signify the beginning of good weather, the banishment of frost (we hope!), and the weekend each year when we go camping for the first time and open up the cottage.
Perhaps Queen Victoria’s Day is a good illustration of the way the world glorifies people – sometimes legitimately – compared to the shabby treatment it gave to Jesus Christ. Have a look at the following comparison. It may remind us that the glory of this world is a shallow thing indeed.
– Tim Johnson
| QUEEN VICTORIA | JESUS CHRIST |
| Birthdate: May 24 | Unknown |
| Birthplace: Luxurious Kensington Palace, London. | In a stable, Bethlehem. |
| Financial status: millionaire since birth. | Lived in poverty all His life. |
| Sovereign: at 18, after all eligible relatives had died | Given throne of the Kingdom by God Himself. |
| Remembered: once a year on Victoria Day. | Every Sunday since 33 a.d. |
| Public life: lived in seclusion her last 40 years. | Spent time with people all day, every day. |
| Died: 81 years old, buried lavishly, Windsor Castle. | 33 years old, empty borrowed tomb. |
| Current condition: unknown, but no longer queen. | Alive, sitting in glory on God’s throne. |
| Popularity: basically forgotten. | Millions would die for Him. |