694. October 5-11 Free or Almost-Free Events in Multicultural Toronto – 2016

Many cities in the world are finding multiculturalism a burden. Please show your friends how lucky we are with our vast number of interesting, affordable events from our different cultures. Don’t forget traditional Toronto customs.

Canada. Share Your Thanksgiving Dinner with a Newcomer. October 9-10. “Registration is now open for hosts and newcomers, as we prepare for another year of sharing our stories and creating new connections… all over a shared meal… “ See: http://www.sharethanksgiving.ca. Originally a Christian day of gratitude to a deity, for many Canadians Thanksgiving is an occasion for family feasting especially of turkey and cranberry sauce. Please send us pictures of your unusual Thanksgiving dinner.

Chinese-Canadian Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner. Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Chinese-Canadian Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner. Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Canada. Traditional Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner. Thursday, October 6, 6pm. $20 plus tax. Great Hall, Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto. This annual traditional feast will feature turkey with all the trimmings, a variety of local side dishes, vegetarian entrée plus a number of aboriginal dishes. Alas, it is already sold out this year, but we mention it because it’s a great deal in an impressive setting. Please mark your calendar to book it for next year, a month in advance. Presented by Hart House, The Centre for International Experience and First Nations House.

Tickets information and other University of Toronto events at http://www.uofttix.ca/view.php?id=1289.

CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=284803

CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=284803

Islamic History Month. I couldn’t find anything on the Islamic History Month website: http://www.ihmcanada.com/index.php/about/ but who knows, something later in the month might come up.

The Barbara Frum Library is celebrating Islamic History Month. Thursday, October 6, 4-5pm. Free. “Sweet and savoury treats, story time, family craft and music!” 20 Covington Road.

Dr. Shafique Virani has a talk called The Clash of Ignorance: The West and the Muslim World. It’s at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, on October 5, 6:30-8pm. Free. You can get a preview of this popular scholar’s presentation on TED Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoyNrlMNBvw. Dr. Virani is Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto. He was previously on the faculty of Harvard University and was later the Head of World Humanities at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates: https://utm.utoronto.ca/historical-studies/people/virani-shafique. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMLIB05&R=LIB05

Screen shot of Dr. Shafique Virani on TED Talks.

Screen shot of Dr. Shafique Virani on TED Talks.

Jewish. Yom Kippur. Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish year which begins this year on the evening of Tuesday, October 11 and ends the evening of Wednesday, October 12. According to chabad.org, “For nearly twenty-six hour… ‘we afflict our souls’: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations.” It is a time to ask God to forgive sins.

Painting in Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Painting in Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Korean-English Language Exchange. Every Friday, 4:10pm to 6:30pm at OISE, 252 Bloor Street West. Free. Open to all students of English or Korean. Please read description carefully. See:

https://www.facebook.com/TorontoKoreanEnglishLanguageExchange/ – and Q&a: https://www.facebook.com/TorontoKoreanEnglishLanguageExchange/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info.

Image from website of Logo from Toronto Korean-English Language Exchange website.

Image from website of Logo from Toronto Korean-English Language Exchange website.

Multicultural. Book Clubs. The Toronto Public Library has a list of clubs about books in different languages in its latest What’s On program guide, page 20, available at library branches.

     Chinese. Cantonese Book Club in Cantonese. October 7, 1-3:30pm. Goldhawk Park Library, 295 Alton Towers Circle. Confirm with library before you go. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMLIB048&R=LIB048.

     French. Club de lecture. Discussions about books in French. October 6, 7-8pm. North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMLIB01&R=LIB01. Confirm with library before you go. It also has Spanish, Serbian and Polish book clubs as well as books in many different languages.

Labud Dragic. Serbian author visiting Toronto. Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Labud Dragic. Serbian author visiting Toronto. Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Multicultural Marketing. “Ramesh Nilakantan of Monsoon Communication shares how to engage with your customers in a culturally relevant voice, yet remain true to your brand’s character.” October 5, 6:30-8pm. Free. Albion Branch, Toronto Public Library, 1515 Albion Road. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMLIB04&R=LIB04

Image of Ramesh Nilakantan courtesy of Monsoon Communications

Image of Ramesh Nilakantan courtesy of Monsoon Communications

Multicultural. Toronto. Crysanthemum Show. What culture doesn’t include flowers? October 9-November 6. Daily 10am-5pm. Allan Gardens Conservatory, 19 Horticultural Avenue. Toronto.ca/parks/conservatories. Bring your friends especially to this one and smell the chrysanthemums.

thumbnail_capture-20160916-172049Saudi Arabia Festival Day. October 8, 1-6pm. Free. Mel Lastman Square Rink, 5100 Yonge Street. This “is a way to know more about the real Saudi culture, food, music and many more. If you have any questions, please come by and ask; we will be more than happy to answer your questions.” Somyah Barefah, Social & Cultural Affairs, Saudi Student Association of Canada – Toronto | (SSAC-Toronto) (in Arabic).

Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Toronto Book awards 7pm. October 11. Free. Appel Salon, Toronto Reference Library hosted by CBC’s Gill Deacon. Established by Toronto City Council in 1974, the Toronto Book Awards honour authors of books of literary or artistic merit that are evocative of Toronto. The annual awards offer $15,000 in prize money: finalists receive $1,000 and the winning author is awarded $10,000.

Among the five finalist this year are Ann Y.K. Choi for her  novel Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety, a bittersweet coming-of-age debut novel set in the Korean community in Toronto in the 1980s. http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=14b72a0926996510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD.

John Lorinc, Michael McClelland, Ellen Scheinberg and Tatum Taylor (Editors) for The Ward: The Life and Loss of Toronto’s First Immigrant Neighbourhood. “This area, considered by the city to be a slum and bulldozed in the 1950s, was a working class enclave bounded by College, Queen, University and Yonge streets that housed bootleggers, Chinese bachelors, workers from nearby Eaton’s garment factories, and peddlers.” http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=20c72a0926996510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD. Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris painted many scenes of the ethnic Ward.

The Toronto Book Awards shortlist authors also read at Word on the Street  on October 5 at 7 pm. Scarborough Civic Centre Library, 156 Borough Drive: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=d766ba2ae8b1e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

cover_theward_medium_180wideOur October autumn is colourful. Even if you can’t afford to leave the city, there are a lot of colourful trees to see here in town. A list is on: http://gocanada.about.com/od/torontoattractions/tp/toronto-fall-colours.htm.

The Fall Colour Progression Report is produced and posted on www.ontariotravel.net each Thursday from early September to mid-October. See: https://www.ontariotravel.net/en/plan/kevin-reports.

Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Image Copyright ©2016 Ruth Lor Malloy

Please tell us about other upcoming free or nearly-free events preferably with posters. Email us at: ruthlormalloy@gmail.com.

 

 

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1 Comment

  1. What an amazing article!! It is great to see such a vibrant multicultural appreciation within Toronto- from all walks of life, there are activities that educate and inspire, as well as let you have fun along the way! I often partake in activities hosted by different groups and cultures in an effort to learn more of the world around me and make some new friends too!

    The Toronto Reference Library is one of the most fabulous resources we have in the city- it really provides a great community hub for everybody and almost any piece of information or assistance you are in need of, they will happily provide you with. Every language, every topic, and every situation- they are more than willing to help!

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