17 May
During this period, you can meet representatives of the cultures of about 40 different countries and regions, and four different religions. They can tell you about their customs. You can hear a lot of their music and you might even sample some of their food (at Carassauga). Most of these events are free, or almost free. Big and especially very colourful are Vesak, Croatia, and Carassauga. Great for selfies and meeting people.
Buddhist. Vesak: Buddha’s Birthday Celebration. Tuesday, May 27. Parade 2pm; Program 3pm. Free. Mississauga’s Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga. Sponsored by Buddhist temples in the Greater Toronto Area. This huge colourful event includes: parade, chanting ceremonies, the Bathing Buddha ritual, traditional music, martial arts and much more! Event Websites: http://www.vesakcelebration.com/. Temples: West End – http://www.westendbuddhist.com/; Fo Guang – http://www.english.fgs2.ca/; Ching Kwok – https://www.facebook.com/cktemple/; Cham Shan – http://en.chamshantemple.org/
Canada. Victoria Day. May 21. Official holiday marking the birthdays of Queen Victoria (born May 24, 1819) and Queen Elizabeth II, the current sovereign of Canada (who was actually born on April 21, 1926). The holiday is on a Monday on or before May 24. This date signals the unofficial beginning of summer after which there is probably no danger of frost. Many Torontonians take advantage of the three-day weekend to visits “cottage country.” Offices, banks, schools, and stores are closed. Fireworks at Ashbridges Bay and Woodbine Park. Free. https://www.blogto.com/city/2018/05/victoria-day-fireworks-toronto-2018/
Croatia. 44th Annual Canadian Croatian Folklore Festival. May 18-20. Various venues and prices. $15-$40. Host: Croatian Folklore Group Kralj Zvonimir. “Annual celebration of Croatian folklore traditions brings together over one thousand participants of Croatian descent from Canada and northeastern USA. Every year this event grows in size and scope and continues to contribute to the Canadian multicultural mosaic.” Schedule: http://www.hkfsavez.com/festival-2018.Multicultural. Carassauga. Opening Ceremony. Parade of Nations. May 25. 7:30pm. Hershey Centre – Main Arena Stage (inside the Africa Pavilion), 5500 Rose Cherry Place, Mississauga. This event brings most of them together in one place and launches the three-day Festival and is a celebration of all the countries represented at the Festival.
May 25-27. $10-$12 for passport to this three day festival. https://www.carassauga.com/visitorinformation/admission
Non-stop cultural entertainment throughout the Festival weekend is featured on the Pavilion Stages at the Hersey Centre and other venues. Countries and regions represented: Africa, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland,
Jamaica, Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam. For details: https://www.carassauga.com. https://www.carassauga.com/visitorinformation/opening-ceremonies/
Multicultural. China, Korea, India, Indonesia. Amely Zhou & Friends / Timar – Parsons Duo. May 24. 8pm. $15-$20. Small World Music Centre, 180 Shaw Street. http://smallworldmusic.com/shows/amely-zhou-friends-timar-parsons-duo/
Multicultural. Doors Open. Explore Toronto’s Buildings. May 26–27. Most free. Over 130 participating buildings, 10 walking tours, 3 talks, 30+ film screenings, a music program & more within the exciting theme of Film: The Great Romance. www.toronto.ca/doorsopen. Among the buildings you can visit, the following especially reflect our cultural diversity:
Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Drive. (Middle Eastern. Muslim)
Canadian Macedonian Place, Community Centre / Agency, 850 O’Connor Drive.
Congregation Knesseth Israel, 56 Maria Street. (Jewish)
First Narayever Congregation, 187 Brunswick Avenue. (Jewish)
Goethe-Institut Toronto, 100 University Avenue, 2nd Floor. (Germany)
Ismaili Centre Toronto, 49 Wynford Drive. (Muslim)
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 496 Huron Street. (Italy)
Jarvis Street Baptist Church, 130 Gerrard Street East. (Christian)
Little Trinity Church and Campus, 425 King Street East. (Christian)
Native Child And Family Services of Toronto, 30 College Street. (First Nations)
Parkdale Arts and Cultural Centre, 1313 Queen Street West. (Multicultural)
The Japan Foundation, 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 300, Floor 3. (Japan)
Multicultural. Flag Raisings. Toronto City Hall. https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/awards-tributes/tributes/flag-raising-half-masting/2018-flag-raising-listing/.
May 28 Flag of the Republic of Armenia 100th Anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia. Ceremony at 12 pm. (noon)
May 27 Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan Independence Day Ceremony at 12 pm. (noon)
May 26 Flag of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana Independence Day Ceremony at 11:30a.m.
Multicultural. Racial Justice Forum: Lead the Change by Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change. May 22. 6pm. A community forum on past wins, present campaigns and future challenges. Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, 78 Queens Park.
“Unfortunately we’ve reached capacity for the full day Forum on May 23. The morning and afternoon plenaries will be live-streamed that day (9:30-10:30am & 3:25-4:30pm) and we encourage you to watch them on the COP-COC Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/colourofpoverty…”
List of speakers: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/racial-justice-forum-lead-the-change-tickets-45555092508 ; https://colourofpoverty.ca/forum
Palestine. Book Launch. Pay no Heed to the Rockets and An Oral History of the Palestinian Nakba. May 26. 7-9pm. Friends House. 60 Lowther Avenue (north of Varsity Stadium). “Another Story Bookshop, Beit Zeitoun and United Jewish People’s Order – Toronto are pleased to host a dual book launch in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Nakba.“https://www.anotherstory.ca/?q=h.calevents
Note from Ruth: TorontoMulticulturalCalendar.com chooses to promote events that encourage a feeling of community in our culturally diverse city. Mention doesn’t mean endorsement but we try to include events we think readers will find stimulating in the cultures of other groups. If you go to any of our mentioned events, please send us corrections or an account of your impressions so we will know whether or not we should promote these events in future. Please continue to send us posters. We don’t charge to post them and we don’t accept paid advertising. Post comments on “Leave a Reply” below. Email us at: ruthlormalloy@gmail.com. Subscribe to our Newsletter above.