<P> The holiday is colloquially known in parts of Canada as May Two - Four; a double entendre that refers both to the date around which the holiday falls (May 24) and the Canadian slang for a case of twenty - four beers (a "two - four"), a drink popular during the long weekend . The holiday weekend may also be known as May Long or May Run, and the term Firecracker Day is also employed in Ontario . </P> <P> A traditional, short song about Victoria Day went as follows: "The twenty - fourth of May / Is the Queen's birthday; / If they don't give us a holiday / We'll all run away!" The holiday is referenced in the song "Lakeside Park" by Canadian rock band Rush, from their 1975 album Caress of Steel . The song features the line, "everyone would gather on the 24th of May, sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display". </P>

Why do we have victoria day in canada