Greek festivities with Yannis Sahamis

Bouzouki instrumentalist Yannis Sahamis will share his Greek heritage with audience members at the Vancouver Greek Summerfest, July 2–12. At the event, which takes places at 4641 Boundary Road, Sahamis will perform as a member of a 3-piece band that also includes a drummer and a guitarist. They will be performing instrumental Greek music, followed…

Canada’s National Aboriginal Day and the West Coast celebration

Celebrating Aboriginal peoples and their contributions to Canada has Gillian Thomson and her brother Robert gearing up for their celebratory performances for National Aboriginal Day (June 21) and the main stage at Canada Place (Sat. June 20 at 12:00p.m.). The siblings are frontmen for Vancouver’s soulful band Sister Says; and given the recent reconciliation events,…

Local talent feeds burgeoning Vancouver comic arts scene

The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival (VanCAF) brings together thousands of people to celebrate comic art every year. Run by the Vancouver Comic Arts Association, a non-profit organization that aims to connect the community with local comic artists, VanCAF fuels the expanding comic fanbase in Vancouver Shannon Campbell, president and event coordinator, explains that there is…

Ukrainian festival turns 20 years old

Gladys Andreas, founder and first president of the B.C. Ukrainian Cultural Festival (BCUCF) is delighted to be celebrating the festival’s 20th anniversary this coming April 18 and 19, but it wasn’t an overnight process. Ukrainian immigration began when the Canadian government, through the British Parliament, invited Europeans to move to Canada. On April 6th, 1895…

Finding perennial meanings under Vancouver’s cherry blossom trees

Cherry blossoms throughout Vancouver have been blooming early this year, giving Vancouverites a great reason to go outdoors, stroll the petal-lined streets and take photographs of the blossoms with friends, family and neighbours. The trees not only beautify the city this time of year, but also provide an occasion for citizens to get together and…

A splash of colour to unite a community

The traditional Hindu festival of colours, Holi, is well known for its iconic imagery: participants celebrate the coming of spring by cheerfully dousing one another with brightly coloured water and powder. However, many may be unaware of the festival’s deeper significance – the event fosters a message of brotherhood and unity for all participants, and…

The revitalization of traditional indigenous songs

The annual Coastal First Nations Dance Festival, presented by Dancers of Damelahamid in partnership with the UBC Museum of Anthropology, celebrates the stories, songs and dances of the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast of North America. From March 3–8, the festival will showcase the First Nations communities of the Northwest Coast, through an artist…

Hot chocolate with a twist

Purple potato and sake. Yes, these are the new hot chocolate flavours created for the 5th annual Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival, on until Feb. 13. This 30 day event is hosted in 24 cafés throughout the city, as well as in Burnaby and North Vancouver. A walking map on the event’s website shows you the…

Celebrating Yalda Night

Every year, Iranians and Central Asians living all over the world celebrate Yalda Night, an ancient tradition marking the passing of the longest night of the year. This holiday originated when most people in Iran were practicing Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion that existed centuries before Islam. On Dec. 21 in Port Moody, the Tri-City…

A stark tale at the VAFF

Vancouver-based filmmaker Karen Lam’s works are often rooted in non-fiction , specifically criminal court cases. Her latest film, Evangeline, is no exception. Lam’s main inspiration for this revenge fantasy film was Vancouver: Pickton and the Highway of Tears served as part of the backdrop. Evangeline will be shown as part of the Vancouver Asian Film…

Makosso, the storytelling chameleon

From Oct. 21–26, Vancouver welcomes the Writers Fest, an event that brings people of all backgrounds together to share stories, cultures and languages. One such storyteller is Congo-born, Gibsons-based writer and poet Jean-Pierre Makosso, who readily switches from one language to another as “the griot of human culture.” The Source : How were you introduced…