Claude Bouchard Books

I was asked by someone in the United States on Twitter this morning if we had the 4th of July in Canada. The fact is, we don't. On July 4th, people across the U.S.A. celebrate Independence Day with family and friends enjoying cookouts, pool parties and fireworks. Elsewhere around the globe, the populations go about with their daily affairs with July 4th being simply another day squeezed in between July 3rd and 5th.

In Canada, however, we don't have July 4th. One second after July 3rd, 11:59:59 pm, and for the 24 hours which follow, Canada is thrown into a black void punctuated with the occasional spectacular bursts of light. As most people, barring Canadians, have never experienced this phenomenon, I took some photos this morning of what Canada looks like today:

I took this one at exactly midnight, just as the black void was forming. Notice the light being sucked into that white hole.

One second later, the black void is almost complete.

The time is 00:00:03.

One of those funky light bursts I mentioned. I took this photo around 9:30 this morning.

And finally, a last one, taken moments ago at 10:12 am, after which I had to recharge the battery for my camera.