Christougenna, a month-long Christmas season

Unlike some North American Christmas traditions, Greek Christmas traditions are rooted in religion. Christmas, for them, continues to be a deeply religious holiday. Christougenna, which translates to “time of Christ,” is the second most important religious holiday in Greece after Easter. The holiday is a month-long celebration that starts on Dec. 6 (St. Nicholas Day)…

Celebrating Croatian culture in Vancouver

The Croatian Cultural Centre will be holding their fourth annual Croatia Days Festival this year. According to Ante Pocrnic, Vice President of the United Croats of Canada, over 3000 people attended the festival in previous years and he expects the turnout to increase yet again. This year the three-day event is being held from June…

Indian Indigenous art makes a stop at the Surrey Art Gallery

This month the Surrey Art Gallery will showcase an art collection featuring Indigenous Indian art rarely seen in North America. Curated by Drs. Aurogeeta Das and David Szanton with assistance from curating consultant Jeffrey Wechsler, the exhibition’s stop at the Surrey Art Gallery is the only one in Canada. The exhibition runs Jan. 20–Mar. 25.…

Workshop seeks to provide new perspective on artisan chocolate

With the holiday season approaching, many are sure to consider a box of chocolates as a gift. But how much is commonly known about chocolate? Geoseph Domenichiello, a chocolate sommelier and chocolatier, will be hosting a chocolate sensory workshop Dec. 17 to provide chocolate lovers with some answers. Domenichiello is of Italian descent and grew…

Showcasing Asian heritage in improv

Instant Theatre will be bringing a martial arts themed improv show to the stage next month at Havana Theatre. Described as a kung fu spectacular, Fistful of Kicks aims to represent Asian Canadian improvisers in the theatre industry. Curt Da Silva, director of Fistful of Kicks, says that Instant Theatre specializes in improvisation theatre productions as well as…

Memoirs of a Romanian Canadian painter

After working as an artist for seven decades, Pnina Granirer has released a memoir, Light Within the Shadows, to chronicle her life as an artist. She will be holding an artist’s talk and book launch in conjunction with her exhibit for the Jewish Book Festival on Nov. 16. Establishing herself as an artist As an…

Artist showcases Latin American women in new exhibition

In an effort to pay homage to her Latin American heritage, Clarissa Argueta will be showcasing her acrylic paintings titled “Women in Colour” at Place Des Arts in Coquitlam, Oct. 13–Nov. 10. Argueta has been drawing or painting for as long as she can remember. After completing a MFA in graphic design from the University…

Day of the Dead party in support of Project Amigo

The Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise will be hosting a Day of the Dead party to fundraise for their international project of the year, Project Amigo, which provides educational assistance to impoverished students in Colima, Mexico. According to Carlos Obregon, former president and current member of the Rotary Club, the club’s mission is to partake…

How one couple travelled the world

Travelling to 77 countries over six continents is no easy feat. Shahla and Peter Nygaard are sharing their long journey in their new book, Decade of Discovery. In 2004, the Nygaards left their home in Edmonton with a one way ticket to Frankfurt, Germany. “We were really curious about the world and decided the best…

Artists re-examine historical objects in new exhibition

The Richmond Art Gallery will be presenting the Eternal Return exhibition, which centres on artifacts from the Richmond Museum’s Migration Collection. Curated by Sunshine Frère, the exhibit will examine historical objects from a new perspective. The exhibition runs Sept. 10–Nov. 19. The cyclical nature of objects According to Frère, the Migration Collection has over 2000…

Opportunities for artistic expression at SFU Summer Festival

SFU’s Anime Club presents its 4th annual SFU Summer Festival, meant to mimic Japanese summer festivals commonly seen in anime series. It will be held at Convocation Mall at the SFU Burnaby Campus again this year on July 15. The free one-day event, used as a way for the club to raise funds, includes an…

Celebrating Croatian culture in Vancouver

The Croatian Cultural Centre will be holding their 2nd Annual Croatia Days Festival this year. According to Ante Pocrnic, Vice President of the United Croats of Canada, last year over 3000 people attended the festival and he expects the turnout to be even greater this year. This year the two-day event is being held from…

Fostering connection through art and culture

In the 18th century, salons allowed individuals to come together and discuss ideas. Salimah Ebrahim will be speaking about her work as a journalist and her start-up Artery at Vancouver Playhouse Theatre’s next Public Salon on June 7. “The idea is for people to connect to the real culture of a place and use Artery…