Photo courtesy of Ontario Early Years Centre

In a diverse country like Canada, celebrations from all cultures are threads woven into the fabric of Canada’s multicultural society. But Family Day, B.C.’s newest holiday, is one that celebrates something universal. Like humour, happiness and good food, the importance of family is something that all cultures share.

“I think Family Day is about connection,” says Jennifer Wesman, manager of community programs at Little Mountain Neighbourhood House. “When you think of culture, people tend of think of difference. But there is a lot of sameness. The common unit is family.”

Families of all types come together

Family Day, celebrated this year on Feb. 10, provides an opportunity for people from all sorts of family structures to reflect. While many Canadian family units are usually small and include few extended relatives, many of the people who build connections at the Little Mountain Neighbourhood House come from cultures where families have large structures and include many generations and in-laws. There is much representation from Latin American, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, African and more than 20 other cultures in its programs.

Wesman believes that Family Day is important for people of all cultures.

“The common thread of families is that they are people in our lives that support us. It really comes down to celebrating the people in our lives, and that’s something we all share,” she says.

Finding time for family

As the pace of life and work increases, many find it difficult to find enough time to spend with family. For Jason Wang, a security guard of Cantonese and Canadian background, the time off to be with family that the holiday provides is vital. At 21 years old, Wang’s family consists of his mother and himself. Most of the people who are important to him are friends.

“I believe Family Day is somewhat underrated,” says Wang. “When I first heard of it I thought, ‘Why would I wanna do that? If anything it’s just a day off.’ But in reality, it’s not like that when you start working.”

Wang’s work schedule makes it hard for him to see his friends and family, helping him to realize the value of a day off to spend with loved ones.

“With the world becoming more industrialized and business-focused, people are working way more than they used to,” he says.

“So despite being a very stupid concept 20 or 30 years ago, now it applies more than ever. We really don’t have the time for family anymore.”

Akwinder Banga, a stay-at-home parent, had not heard of Family Day before and immediately thought it was a good idea.

“I haven’t heard of Family Day. My husband probably knows because he’s been in Canada longer than I have,” says Banga.

Banga stayed in her home country of India before moving to Canada. Now that she knows about this holiday, she might use the extra time to go to a restaurant or see a movie with her husband and kids.

For listings of Family Day activities around your area,
visit http://www.blog.gov.bc.ca/bcfamilyday.