Canadians from coast to coast unite Wednesday in a unique celebration of National Aboriginal Day through a nationwide round dance set to start at the same time in eight host cities.
In Edmonton, people will join hands starting at 11 a.m. at Victoria Park.
In Halifax, the celebration starts at 2 p.m. ET, while the dance in Vancouver kicks off at 10 a.m.
Other participating locations include Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg and Yellowknife.
CBC News will broadcasting the events live on Facebook across the country.
You can watch the Edmonton celebration here.
“We’re trying for Canada’s largest round dance ever,” said Ron Walker, executive director of the Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Edmonton.
The style of each round dance or drum dance varies from community to community and reflects that region’s unique customs and traditions.
In the round dance, participants join hands in a large circle as a symbol of equality and in sync, move to their left with a side-shuffle step following the drumbeat.
The celebration in Edmonton will continue throughout the day, including a women’s Maori dance and a group of fiddlers and a mini three-hour powwow.
Aboriginal Day began June 21, 1996. It was declared by Roméo LeBlanc, Canada’s governor-general at the time, to recognize the heritage, diverse cultures and contributions of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.