We are truly blessed in Canada to have our choice of different cultural foods and cuisines from around the world, I mean it! Walk down any major city and you can see the look and feel the change as people bring their flavors while mixing in Canadian elements and other cultures in the neighbourhood to create something that is truly out of this world! Each neighbourhood design inspired by their homeland to bring that piece of it with them, giving each one a charm that only gets better with age.
But one group of immigrants who never had it easy, have given us meals that saturate our restaurants with their own take on it, to even a controversial Canadian take that has some people around that world going…. Pineapple and ham? That’s right folks our Italian Canadian community are part of our culture heritage that gave us pizza, and pasta. Two things I will always love for the taste and hate for what it does to my waistline!
This is your opportunity to honour and enjoy the culture, contributions, and history of Italian Canadians to the city of Vancouver area and all of Canada. Commercial Drive, where Vancouver’s historic Little Italy calls home there’s a month-long series of events presented by Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, the Commercial Drive Business Society with historic ‘Little Italy’ designation, the Italian Day Festival Society’s annual ‘Italian Day on The Drive’ street festival. One of the city’s largest and most popular street festivals all for you to enjoy as well as other collaborations. The festival is weaved with annual themes. Celebrating 15 Year together drawing the community closer to the exceptional aspects of Italian heritage, culture, with the ‘la dolce vita’ lifestyle! The festival atmosphere will have dynamic sights, spirited sounds filling the air, and animated activities and dancing in the streets to captivate all ages.
But it’s not all about celebrations, Italian Heritage Month is also a time to stop and remember the adversity faced by Italian Canadians. The Italian community has been a part of Vancouver long before the city was incorporated in 1886. In 1940, following the declaration of war against Italy by the Canadian government, approximately three dozen Italian men were deemed enemy aliens, taken from their families and sent off to POW camps. Many struggled to immigrate to Vancouver after the war, then try to build their lives and businesses, and contribute to our city. Then in 2022, Vancouver City Council gave an official apology to the descendants of the POW’s and to Vancouver’s Italian Canadian community and acknowledges Italian Heritage Month as one of its official observances and celebrations. The Italian Canadian community now numbers over 90,000 people today! Who proudly share their culture.
Most of us see the kiss and have no idea what’s going on, what is the deeper meaning behind the gesture? A kiss/ kisses (un bacio/baci) represent an element in the warm exchange of daily greetings in either written or verbal messages, as in “mille baci”, literally meaning a thousand kisses and ultimately conveying an intensified expression of respect and love.
So, welcome a mille baci on your cheeks and get ready to celebrate!
Brian Smith
bsmith288@my.bcit.ca