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Jeremy
Collins had his hands full with festive events this month. On December 13, he's helping organize his office Christmas party.
The same morning he'll bring a Dreidel and Menorah to work, and will set
up a Latke and Blintze breakfast to introduce Hanukkah (also called the Festival
of Lights) to his colleagues. "Latkes and Blintzes are traditionally served during Hanukkah which
started on December 6, this year and lasts for eight days. This is the first time I'm introducing a Jewish tradition at work and I
hope it will help promote greater understanding among my colleagues who don't
know much about Judaism or Jewish culture."
Collins, who has a legal background,
hails
originally from England and says that besides Hanukkah, he's been influenced by
the joy of the Christmas season since childhood. "When my family moved to England, we were part of a tiny Jewish
community in a small Yorkshire town. While celebrating our own festival of the
season, we chose to celebrate some of the cultural aspects of Christmas too.
For example, on Christmas day each year, my parents and I would make
traditional Turkey with trimmings, and flambe pudding. Basically we believe in the spirit of the season which consists of family
and friends coming together to enjoy a festive time."
Collins still enjoys some of the traditions he recalls from his childhood and
continues to add to seasonal motifs. "Now
I have an angel hanging in my window - the universal symbol that miracles
can
happen."
The Qayyums may not have an angel in their window but are planning to adorn the
house for Christmas. Imran Qayyum,
an accountant, says "we'll decorate the house because my daughter Hira,
four and a half, is fascinated by the sights and sounds of Christmas. Although
it's not a religious festival for us as Muslims, we enjoy being part of the
festive season which is a time of joy. Living
in a multicultural society we try and make the best of both worlds."
Faiza Qayyum echoes her husband's feelings, "Our own festival of Eid
is coming up in February and while that is what we celebrate, we try and
participate in the Christmas spirit because we've made Canada our home, plus
it's important to respect all faiths. Some
traditions like Thanksgiving are heartwarming. We decorated the house for
Halloween, we donate at Christmas and enjoy the best of the season." Faiza explains that she finds the commercial aspect of Christmas a bit
overwhelming. "It should stress more on the spiritual and less on the
material so that everyone can learn about the pleasure of giving."
10 month old Shahen is a little young to understand giving, but can sense the
excitement of his very first Christmas. He probably picks up vibes from his
parents, Sandip and Sulani Yashpal. "Christmas is not a new festival for us" says
Sulani, a film
maker by profession and mother by choice. "Although
we are Hindus, we grew up in Bombay, which is as Cosmopolitan as Toronto. We've always celebrated multi-faith festivals with our Muslim, Christian
and Sikh friends. But we're very
excited about our first Canadian Christmas which hopefully will be white."
Sandip, a Marketing Consultant, explains
that his family has just finished celebrating Diwali
(
the Hindu festival of lights) on November 10 and he remarks "although
Diwali is the festival of lights, we see myriads of lights ablaze for Christmas
and in a way this ends up looking more like a festival of lights."
The Yashpal's are planning
to buy a Christmas tree and agree that as Shahen grows older, they will tell him
the story of Jesus. "Hinduism
is a philosophy" explains Sulani, "so anything positive that we can
gain from other faiths, only adds to our own. Christmas has some very strong points about the joy of giving, and I'd
like to learn from that." Short
of going to Church, the Yashpals plan to participate fully in this Christmas
season.
Sohini Rana went to Christmas Mass at a downtown Church last year.
"It was a solemn and beautiful ceremony with a inspiring
sermon" says Rana, a Chartered Accountant. She compares midnight mass to
all night prayers at the Gurdwara, her place of worship. "I belong to the Sikh faith and have just celebrated the birth of
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, on November 25. It was a spiritually uplifting experience, and now I'm ready to
participate whole heartedly in Christmas. It
makes us richer when we learn from others faiths. So celebrating Christmas in my host Country poses no threat to me,
because we used to celebrate Christmas at school in India. The only difference
is that in India, our own festival
took precedence; in Canada Christmas is more significant because the majority
celebrates it."
"I've been in Canada for 7 years, but I still get enthused about Christmas
and admire the rituals and holiday decor. It's
an infectious time of the year where we don't have to participate, but I want to be part of all the joy of giving, caring and sharing.
I went carol singing last year and enjoyed it so much that I'm gearing up
to go again this year."
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