The public is invited to Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Malahat from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at 20 Huron St. in James Bay, to celebrate the new year in a unique Canadian tradition, the Levee.
The term “Levee,” derived from the French se lever (to rise), represents the practice of rising early on the first day of the new year to pay respect to the monarch or the local governor.
The first recorded New Year’s Levee in Canada was in 1646, and was hosted by the first governor of New France, Charles Huault de Montmagny, at Chateau Saint-Louis in Quebec City.
It is believed that the popular custom arrived in Victoria with the Royal Navy in 1840.