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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)…
In the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breona Taylor among others, it was more apparent than ever to many people that anti-Black racism is alive and well in the North American continent. In light of these killings, IBOP Connections (UBC) wanted to create an event to collaborate with Black artists…
Every year, the Scandinavian community celebrates, among other traditions, Santa Lucia on December 9. Elinor Barr, a researcher on Scandinavian immigration to Canada and author of Swedes in Canada: Invisible Immigrants, shares her thoughts on Swedish-Canadian history. Born in Ignace, Ontario to Swedish parents, Barr, 84, lived in Port Arthur and Fort William, where she…
Conquer the Dragon, an event featuring a group of francophone artists from British Columbia, aims to raise awareness of children affected by special needs such as autism, dyslexia and OCD. The event doubles as a fundraiser and runs until Dec. 17 at Le Centre culturel francophone de Vancouver. The money raised by sales of the…
Ranbir Johal, professor in the Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), faculty of Asian Studies, will deliver a seminar on gender barriers in Punjabi theatre on Nov. 12 through the Museum of Anthropology (MOA). The lecture will examine the restrictions women have historically faced in the pursuit of the performative arts in Punjab by looking at the…
People from all over the world will be invited to raise gender visibility through online and local affirmative actions towards a non-binary notion of gender on Oct. 21. Registration has started already. International Pronouns Day is a global initiative that understands referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human…
Online dating may give us the ability to connect with people across the world, but it can also present barriers. One University of British Columbia’s (UBC) study found that understanding Canadian humour is one of the major obstacles immigrants face when using dating websites. Siqi Xiao, an international UBC Masters sociology student, was primarily focused…
A co-authored article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, an online science journal, outlines career strategies for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) researchers working in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). The article, “Strategies and support for Black, Indigenous, and People of colour in ecology and evolutionary biology,” highlights the low…
Even though Serbian Days takes a break this summer due to COVID-19, members of the local Serbian community and everyone else are still able to experience flavours from the old country. “Hospitality is a big part of our culture,” said Natsa Lazic of the Balkin Bakery. “Food is a big part of the festival but…
The UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs is inviting Canadian youth to produce their own short film this summer for submission to the Storytelling for Change campaign. There’s no cost to enter, big prizes to be won, and invaluable connections to make with mentors from around the world. The contest asks young filmmakers…
The Tanabata + Flea Market event at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre celebrates the popular Japanese star festival, Tanabata. The celebration will be held on Sat., July 4, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. “Tanabata is the tale of two star-crossed lovers, Orihime, the star Vega, and Hikoboshi, the star Altair,” says Yukiko Nishikawa, special…
Interdisciplinary e-journal Ideas and Futures launched in May 2020 with the aim of provoking serious reflection on an uncertain post-COVID world. Founding editors Sadia Abbas and Raza Ahmad Rumi explain that the journal, which evolved out of a COVID-19 working group of scholars, activists, policy analysts, and artists, will serve as a platform for international…
Totem poles are well known as a ubiquitous part of Haida Gwaii artwork, but the traditional wooden sculptures were only reclaimed as part of the island’s culture a half a century ago. “As artists, we are still trying to reconstruct the language we had built and to fully understand it again,” says Christopher Auchter, a…
