| Ode to Labrador | |
| Prefix: | Regional |
| Country: | Labrador |
| Author: | Harry Paddon |
| Lyrics Date: | 1927 |
| Composer: | Ernst Anschütz |
| Music Date: | 1824 |
| Adopted: | 1927 |
| Sound: | Oh Christmas Tree.ogg |
"Ode to Labrador" is the regional anthem of Labrador, a constituent region of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Written by Dr. Harry Paddon in 1927,[1] it is generally sung to the melody of "O Tannenbaum", although alternate melodies have been proposed.[2] The Ode constitutes "the first major, symbolic declaration of Labradorean solidarity".[3]
Paddon was sent to Labrador by the London board of health, and this song is analyzed as his declaration of allegiance to his fellow adopted countrymen and women, and sought to aid in their political mobilization with the Ode. The symbolic significance of the Ode is further bolstered by the fact that Labrador's definitive boundaries were only determined that very same year.