National anthem of Canada | |
Lyrics | Adolphe-Basile Routhier 1880 (French) Robert Stanley Weir, 1908 (English) |
---|---|
Music | Calixa Lavallée |
Adopted | 1980 |
Preceded by | The Maple Leaf forever |
Audio sample | |
O Canada |
"O Canada" (French: Ô Canada) is the national anthem of Canada. Calixa Lavallée wrote the music, and Adolphe-Basile Routhier wrote the words in French. It was first sung in French in 1880. Robert Stanley Weir wrote the English words for the song, which are not a translation of the French lyrics, in 1908.
It was sung as the national anthem for many years before the government made it official on 1 July (Canada Day) in 1980.
"O Canada" has been translated into many languages. Some of these languages are spoken by people living in Canada, but they trace their roots in other parts of the globe. These languages include Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, Italian, Punjabi, Russian, and Ukrainian. The song has also been translated into indigenous languages (languages spoken by First Nations), such as Inuktitut, Ojibwe, Cree, and Mi'kmaq.