by red hearts and lanterns
Red is for hearts and lovers and friends this weekend – Happy Valentine’s Day! or Hauskaa Ystävänpäivää and Happy Friendship Day as the Finns celebrate it.
Red is for the colour of the maple leaf on the Canadian flag.
Red is for Olympic mittens and clothing for Canadians hosting the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
Red is the colour of happiness in Chinese culture now celebrating the Lunar New Year, the beginning of spring and the Year of the Tiger.
Red is for the lanterns lining the streets of Chinatown for the bigger than usual parade and other events, thanks to the the thousands of visitors in Vancouver for the Games.
Did you know that Vancouver’s Chinatown is the largest in Canada, and second to the one in San Francisco? And that we have another city with a huge Chinese population from more recent years’ immigration, that of Richmond, located south of Vancouver and home of the Vancouver International Airport? That Chinese are our largest non-British ethnic group in an already very multi-cultural city and province? We also have a large number of other Asians here as well, some of whom also celebrate the New Year at this time.
Gung hai fat choi!
(Update: Apologies for not checking that the link within the link in my old Friendship Day post no longer works. I suggest Wikipedia’s page about various alternative celebrations around the world to Valentine’s Day.)
February 13, 2010 in Canada and BC, Culture, Current Events by Marja-Leena
It’s Losar too – the Tibetan New Year. I just read that President Obama has agreed to meet the Dalai Lama in spite of Chinese protests. I think I know which one of the two was worthy of the Nobel Peace prizes they both received. Perhaps he’ll have a word of advice to share.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you. My Swedish friend always says happy new year for birthdays too. May there be joyous ones in abundance.
Susan, yes, Tibet is one of those Asian countries celebrating New Year’s at this time. I don’t know if we have many Tibetans here. I like that postcard “I love Tibet” campaign. I too hope that Obama learns from the Dalai Lama, who by the way was recently here.
And thanks for the Valentine! I can understand the ‘happy new year’ on birthdays as it IS a new year for that person!
Hyvää ystävänpäivää and Happy Valentine´s Day! Here in Finland it is also Shrove Sunday (laskiais sunnuntai) right now. We celebrate that with traditional food like buns filled with whipped cream (laskiaispulla). Finland Almanac
Happy Red Day, Marja-Leena! I had no idea that the Chinatown there is that big. The Chinese restaurants must be magnificent! Do you know the old German proverb, Freundschaft ist des Lebens Salz? Do the Finns have anything similar for Friendship Day?
Kiitos Leena! Oh, yes, I remember my mother making those buns. And ham and pea soup. Here in Canada, some people celebrate it as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday. Interesting how all these celebrations have come so close together this year!
Rouchswalwe, hah, Red Day? I’ve started a new one?! Yes, there are a LOT of Chinese restaurants of all kinds, from the little inexpensive mom-and-pop kind to the magnificent multi-course banquet rooms, and of the many regions of China, as well as many other Asian restaurants. No, I’m not familiar with that proverb – friendship is the salt of life? Have to ask my husband. I wonder if any of my Finnish readers can answer that last question?
Yes, as Lucy says elsewhere, we need something to cheer up mid February. And you good wishes in the name of Valentine and The Tiger are reciprocated. In the meantime, may you have the snow that Vancouver needs at the moment!
I wished a Finnish friend “Hauska Valentiinipaiva”, which he described as “Finnglish”, but quite liked it anyway. One does what one can… 🙂
I like the idea of a friendship day. Happy friendship day to you, Marja-Leena. You are a good friend!
Joe, thanks! Yes, Cypress Mountain needs snow, but we sure don’t want it down in the city anymore for we are too spoiled now by our early spring.
Black Pete, the Finns in Finland probably say it that way as they do whenever they appropriate English words. Apparently Friendship Day was made official in 1987 in Finland but I still see some using both, as we’re all so international now.
Hattie, thanks, as you are too!
I used to teach printmaking to suburban ladies (like me) and I had 2 mottos: 1. Printmaking is the art of liking what you get. 2. If you can’t make it good, make it red.
I hope you had a good, red Valentines Day.
Anne, great mottos for printmaking!! And thanks, Valentines Day was good, a lovely walk in the park on a warm day with my sweetie 🙂