July 3rd 2008 – a memorable celebration
I already told of the program planned to celebrate the anniversary of the day Quebec City was founded four hundred years ago. Well, there is only one word to describe how that day was celebrated: Fabulous!
Early that day, the population was invited for breakfast with the mayor of the city. A formal mass followed at Our Lady's Basilica and of course there were speeches by dignitaries: the Governor General, the Canadian Prime Minister, the Provincial Prime Minister and the Mayor of the city. The torrential rain that came down that was pouring only disturbed the general rehearsal of the show that was to be presented on the square in front of the General Assembly. The show did start around 5:00PM, with some two hours delay but the remarkable thing is that thousands of people waited patiently under the rain to see this well orchestrated production involving acrobats and some of Canada's most famous singers and musicians.
The fun then continued on the Duffrin Terrace where the anniversary cake was cut and served to over two thousand people. The streets of the city remained animated all evening allowing people to wait for the magnificent fireworks display that took place at 11:30PM, on the river, to end of the day.
If in deed, the program was interesting and rich and diverse, the most extraordinary thing that one could witness is the enthusiasm of the people, residents and visitors alike. At 11:00AM sharp, 600 sets of Canadian bells rang to mark the supposed time Samuel de Champlain set foot on the grounds of what was to become the city of Quebec. Yet, this was nothing compared to the cheers of the people, soaking in the rain in the streets when the sun finally came out. One man then commented: «Why should we mind celebrating this day under the rain. After all we celebrate carnival under the snow and -20C »