The Maple Leaf - One of Canada's most popular symbols

The big Christmas tree outside one of my school's campuses

It has been a few days since the last time I wrote here.  School finals got me a little too busy but I am back in the groove now.

Today I want to talk about one of Canada's best well-known symbols, the Maple Leaf.  This ubiquitous Canadian symbol is proudly displayed in the flag.  Many historians say it was already a symbol of the country in the 1700s.  That would be a few centuries of the maple leaf serving as a symbol of Canada although it was not officially so until 1965, the year the Canadian flag was proclaimed.

Well, Canada is well-known for it's maple syrup.  European settlers learned from aboriginal peoples the food properties of the maple sap.  The province of Quebec is the world's largest producer of this sweet food.  How much does it produce?  Some say over 100,000 litres yearly.  That's more than the maple syrup production of the USA and all other Canadian provinces put together.  

Where else beside the flag can you find the maple leaf?  You will see it  everywhere in the country.  In the pennies, in many companies names and logos, and there is even a hockey team name after it.  A big Canadian packaged food corporation with operations in Canada, the US, the UK, Mexico and Asia goes by the name Maple Leaf.  It couldn't have a more Canadian name than that, eh? And the Toronto Maple Leafs are not a bad team either.  Don't let the name make you think this is not an intimidating team.  It has a long, great history since it was part of the original 6 teams of the NHL and it has won 11 Stanley Cups. 

You know what is a great souvenir to send home from Canada?  A maple syrup in a maple leaf bottle!  I bet my family would like that!  You can find it here.

Kate wearing a statement hat during a visit to the country