The maple leaf, the symbol of Canada, has a long history behind it. This dates back to the seventeenth century, with the arrival of the colonists first, who founded the settlements of Port Royal y Quebec and who needed to create their own symbology.
This is a constant in the population of new territories throughout history. Those who settle there need to differentiate themselves from the metropolis and one of the best ways to do this is to equip themselves with their own symbols. Therefore, if you want to know why the maple leaf is a symbol of Canada, we invite you to continue reading.
How the maple leaf became a symbol of Canada
The first settlers to settle in Canada saw that maple was very common in those lands. But more importantly, they observed how the natives took advantage of the tree's sap to create a syrup with which to feed. We are going to focus on these two aspects.
Maple, very common in Canadian lands
The maple tree has, from a taxonomic perspective, thirteen varieties. This is not the place to get bored listing them all. But it will interest you to know that, in the Canadian territory there are ten of these variants. The most common is the maple saccharinum, but you can also find in that country the black maple or maple circinatum.
In addition, it is a very beautiful tree that in the autumn time acquires a spectacular color, especially in some of its variants. Therefore, its abundance could not go unnoticed by those early settlers.
The maple leaf, the symbol of Canada for its nutritional properties
Another circumstance that made Canadians appreciate the value of maple was its nutritional power. As we told you, they observed that the natives of North America extracted its sap to create syrups with which to nourish themselves.
Canadian maple leaves
Think that those first colonizers did not exactly live in abundance. The harsh weather in the area it caused many crops to fail and, apart from hunting and fishing, they did not have to eat. The latter were not easy for them either during the harsh winter months, especially in the northernmost regions. For all this, the syrup created from maple sap It should have spared them many eating problems. It is logical that they held the tree from which they extracted it in high esteem.
When did the maple leaf become the symbol of Canada?
In spite of everything, the maple leaf did not become a symbol of Canada until late XNUMXth century. Already in the XIX, as a result of the romantic currents, so prone to nationalism, the leaf was inscribed in the quebec flag first and from Ontario after.
However, curiously, the maple leaf does not appear on the country's ensign until 1965 and after a controversy that lasted several decades. It is true that this debate had nothing to do with maple, but with other aspects.
In any case, the new Canadian flag, already with the leaf, was devised by the historian George FG Stanley, who was inspired by that of the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, of which he was a professor. But the maple leaf design that was to appear on the banner was not his.
Maple Leaf Designer for Banner
The person responsible for the shape of this leaf on the Canadian flag was Jaques saint-cyr. And its design was so important that, since then, the country's flag has been known as "The Maple Leaf", that is, the maple leaf.
As a curiosity, we will tell you that, once the design was approved, another debate was generated regarding its layout on cloth. Finally, various placements of the leaf on the flag were tested and these flags were passed through a wind tunnel. Thus, the one that you can see today was adopted because, in windy conditions, was still visible.
Small flag of Canada and information thereon
The maple leaf of the Canadian flag has a design that we could define as squared and with three points each of which presents, in turn, another three. And, like the flag's side stripes, it has a deep red color. However, these points have no symbolic value, that is, they have no meaning.
In any case, it took everything a committee to choose the Canadian flag. This, already with the maple leaf, was shown publicly for the first viewing on February 15, 1965. And, since then, that day is commemorated National Flag Day of Canada.
But just as important is the maple leaf as a symbol of Canada that many institutions in the country, including its military forces, educational colleges or sports clubs, include it in their banner. However, also the United kingdom flag, popularly known as union flagit's official in Canada as a symbol of their belonging to the Commonwealth o British Commonwealth of Nations.
In conclusion, the maple leaf, the symbol of Canada, is so important to the inhabitants of the North American country that it is present in many of their shields and flags, both public and private, including the national flag.