'
Dominion Day' is a commemoration day of the granting of national status in various
Commonwealth countries.
Canada
'Dominion Day' was the original anglophone name of the holiday that commemorated the formation of the Dominion of
Canada on
July 1,
1867 out of the existing British North American colonies (The francophone name was 'Le Jour de la Confédération'). That holiday was renamed '
Canada Day' on
October 27,
1982.
A popular legend is that the term Dominion was originated for Canada's formation in 1867. It is suggested that Sir
Samuel Leonard Tilley suggested the term to the
Fathers of Confederation at their meeting after his morning devotionals, during which he read Psalm 72:8: "He shall have dominion from sea to sea." The term "Dominion" was used to describe former British Colonies before Canada's Confederation.
From the 1960's into the 1980's, Dominion Day was the date the
Miss Dominion of Canada beauty pageant was held at Niagara Falls, Ontario, to select the Canadian representative for the major international beauty pageants (
Miss Universe,
Miss World,
Miss International, and Queen of the Pacific).
New Zealand
'Dominion Day' is the name given to
26 September, the anniversary of the day
New Zealand was granted
dominion status within the
British Empire in
1907. The day is only observed as a
Provincial Anniversary Day holiday in
South Canterbury. There is support in some quarters for the day to be revived as an alternative New Zealand Day, instead of renaming
Waitangi Day, New Zealand's current national day.