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Christmas in Canada
A Coming-together of Cultures
By Kelly Burgess
The Christmas traditions of Canada are as dynamic and diverse as its people. With a rich indigenous heritage, as well as enduring cultural traditions from the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe and France, Christmas in Canada can't be classified, just savored.
From British Columbia to Newfoundland, old traditions mingle with new, and the old world softens the modern rush. There are the devout, the merry and the commercial. Sometimes it's a mix of all three. Let's take a look at a Canadian Christmas from coast to coast.
Long before the Norse Vikings explored the Canadian coast more than a thousand years ago, the Eskimos were celebrating midwinter with a festival called "sinck tuck" that continues today. This festival is an embodiment of the goodwill of the season, as one town invites another for feasting and entertainment, and the following winter the invited town returns the favor. There are folk dances, gift giving and delicious foods. The dancers and entertainers wear beautiful, elaborate fur costumes decorated with feathers and other ornamentation. At the end, gifts are given to everyone, and they begin to look forward to the following year.
French Jesuit Missionaries brought many customs to the native Canadians. As a result, although many in the First Nations celebrate not Christmas, but midwinter, gift giving is often a part of their festivals. In the Cree Nation, children visit the homes of relatives and leave behind cloth bags. In the morning, they go back and collect the bags, which are now filled with gifts. The Inuit even have Santa Claus visit, but their games and feasts have a decidedly traditional feel.
One particular missionary, Jean de Br补uf, wrote the first Canadian Christmas carol while he was living and working among the Huron. The song, "Jesus Ahatonnia" (Jesus is Born), is still sung in French Quebec.
