Today, March 10th marks Commonwealth Day, 2025.
Observed by the 53 member states of the Commonwealth Of Nations, Commonwealth Day is a celebration that is held on the second March of every year. Its purpose is to recognize the work of Commonwealth members and to promote understanding and cooperation on global issues.
This year’s event is centred around the theme ‘Delivering a Common Future’, highlighting how the member countries in the Commonwealth family are ‘innovating, connecting and transforming’ to help achieve some of its biggest goals like protecting natural resources and boosting trade.
Formerly known as Empire Day, in 1958, it was renamed Commonwealth Day to reflect the changes in the relationship between Great Britain and her former colonies.
In 1973, a Canadian proposal was made to observe Commonwealth Day on the same day in all Commonwealth countries, the second Monday in March. The date was chosen because it did not have any significant historical connotations and, in 1976, it became official.
Commonwealth Day is also officially observed in a large number of countries that were formally part of the British Empire. These include many of the countries in the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.
In 1976, it was enacted to celebrate the day universally over all member states.The flag of the Commonwealth of Nations is the official flag used by and representing the Commonwealth of Nations. Its current design dates to 2013 with a modification of a design adopted in 1976. The flag was developed from car pennants produced for the first time at the 1973 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, held in Ottawa.
The initiative for its design is credited to two Canadians – Commonwealth Secretary-General, Arnold Smith and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. It was officially adopted on March 26, 1976.
The original design featured a globe surrounded by 61 radiating, approximately quadrilateral, sun rays, which form a ‘C’ for ‘Commonwealth’. The number of sun rays did not represent the number of member states (there have never been 61 members); instead, the large number represented the many ways in which the Commonwealth cooperates around the world.
In 2013, the globe was tilted, and the number of sun rays reduced to 34. The colourings used in the flag were also slightly modified.
In Canada, the Canadian Flag is usually flown alongside the Union Jack to commemorate the day. However, if the flag pole is not big enough to accommodate two flags, then usually only the Canadian Flag is flown.
The Commonwealth today is made up of 56 countries and a voluntary association of independent countries that work together for shared goals such as democracy, development and peace.
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Today, King Charles III is the Head of the Commonwealth however, when the monarch dies, the successor to the crown does not automatically become the new head of the Commonwealth. Despite this, at their meeting in April 2018, Commonwealth leaders agreed that Prince Charles should succeed his mother Elizabeth II as head after her death. The position is symbolic, representing the free association of independent members, the majority of which (36) are republics, and five have monarchs of different royal houses – Brunei, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia and Tonga.
