Oh Canada!

Difference between Australia and Canada # 482:


They stand to attention during the national anthem.


The other night we went to a concert at school to see Silas' bands play.  One of the items they are rehearsing is Oh Canada (that's the anthem).  It was in the middle of the program, and as soon as the first notes were played everyone in the auditorium stood up!!  We were stunned to say the least.  Should we just sit there and use our non-Canadian status as an excuse or stand up and blend right in?  We opted for the latter, and Cluny may even have joined in.


Every morning the school plays the anthem over the loudspeaker and the kids stand to attention and sing.  Well apparently no one really knows the words (sounds familiar?) so they just mumble along anyway.


So I was in the school office the other morning and needed some help with something, and the admin assistant said that it would need to wait a minute.  Assuming that this was because she was busy, I sat down on a chair and waited.  Just as I did so, I realised that the strains of the b....... anthem were playing, and that everyone in the office, including parents, kids and staff, were standing to attention while it played.  So there's me, relaxing comfortably, and feeling like a complete dork.  This time I decided that I would stay right there.  Not sure what I'll do next time.  John says we should show respect by standing etc etc, but I'm not so comfortable with the overt displays of nationalism.  I will try to avoid similar situations, but as the events above illustrate, I can't necessarily predict when Oh Canada will be sprung on me!