Traditions Archives | Creating Together Parkdale

Egg Decorating an Ancient Tradition

April 4, 2022 by Melanie

The Spring tradition of egg decorating is one of the most ancient decorative arts, with the oldest cache of decorated eggs were found in Africa, dating back 65,000-55,000 years (1).

Around the world and across cultures, eggs are decorated to celebrate their symbolism: life, renewal, rebirth, healing, protection, and the coming of Spring.

*An Iranian altar celebrating Nowruz, the Iranian New Year*

Here are some examples of egg decorating across cultures and traditions:

Iranians decorate eggs to honour Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, which falls on the Spring Equinox. This is now practiced across Eurasia by Persian and Turkish peoples across faiths.
Christians celebrate the egg at Easter, to honour the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In China, red eggs are given as gifts to a bride and groom, or for a new born baby. They symbolize fertility, health, protection and good fortune.

This month, Creating Together will be celebrating this ancient tradition with an egg decorating craft on April 13th, followed by an egg hunt on April 14th – no registration required!

Join us in this ancient tradition on April 13th, followed by an Egg Hunt April 14th!

Texier, Pierre-Jean, et al. “A Howiesons Poort tradition of engraving ostrich eggshell containers dated to 60,000 years ago at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 107, No. 14 (April 6, 2010), pp. 6180-6185 and Pierre-Jean Texier, et al, “The context, form and significance of the MSA engraved ostrich eggshell collection from Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Western Cape, South Africa,” Journal of Archaeological Science 40(9), September 2013. See also: Michael Balter, “Engraved Eggs Suggest Early Symbolism,” Science Magazine, March 1, 2010, for images of some fragments and a discussion of the importance of the find.

Have Fun and Stay Safe this Halloween!

October 31, 2021 by Melanie

Trick or Treating is Back On!

Last year families had to find creative ways to celebrate the holidays, with trick-or-treating cancelled – and although Creating Together won’t be holding any Halloween events this year, trick-or-treating is back on for 2021 and we want to say to all of you ~ stay safe, have fun, and have a very happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Parade Returns!

Also, when you are finished with your pumpkins, don’t forget to bring them over to Sorauren Park for the 2021 Pumpkin Parade! After being cancelled previously by the City for not having a permit, Councillor Gord Perks has taken out the permit for the parade.

The city is asking for those who come to the parade to share in the community spirit and to also take a moment to help put their pumpkin in one of the bins provided at the park at the end of the night or first thing in the morning. Volunteers from Friends of Sorauren Park will also assist. With more than 1,500 pumpkins on display in recent years, the Parade is a neighbourhood and even regional highlight of the season!

October is Family History Month

October 12, 2021 by Melanie

“By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family.”
Orrin Hatch

Since 2001, October has been observed as “Family History Month” – an opportunity for individuals to improve their genealogy skills, find out about new resources and meet others who share your passion for the past! It’s also a great time for families to sit down together and honour the stories that enrich their family tree.

Most children will learn to appreciate their family history if you turn it into a detective game. Start your children or grandchildren on a lifelong journey of discovery by introducing them to geneology. Take a look below for some wonderful projects to do with your children this month.

6 Activities to Help you Celebrate your Family History

1. Go through old photos

It’s so important to share stories of our older generations – see if you know (or can find out) who is in the pictures, where they were taken, and what story is there to be shared. Sit down with some photos and your little one and see what stories you can share with them about the family!

2. Make a Family Tree

Here’s a fun Tigger Movie to watch with your youngster, and a range of templates for for creating your family tree, from trees including extended and adopted families, to blended and same-sex families: Family Tree Templates.

3. Visit cemeteries

If you know where family members are buried, visit their memorials. Take rubbings of their tombstones. See if you can find the oldest one. Did they have any neat things on their epitaphs? If your ancestors aren’t buried near you, check out the website FindAGrave.com – where you can see or request tombstones from other graveyards. You can even help other people by taking pictures of requested cemeteries near you.

5. Create a family cookbook

Contact your parents, grandparents, and others from the family – ask them to send you a few of their favourite family recipes, with a story about each dish, where or who it was handed down from, why it is a family favourite, and when it was traditionally eaten (Christmas, family reunions, etc.)….and try out some of the recipes with your little one!

6. Find out what your family surname means

The roots of your family name can be a great family activity. And, we would encourage you to take a look at the maiden names of the women in your family as well! Here’s a link to get you started: https://www.surnamedb.com/

Enjoy the Process!

Happy Thanksgiving!

October 5, 2021 by Melanie

It is the time of year to reflect on all that we are grateful for, in our families, homes and communities. When hard times hit, Gratitude has the power to energize, reduce stress, and align with optimism – and who doesn’t need that?

While several factors go into emotional resilience and optimism, studies show that cultivating a sense of gratitude can help you maintain a more positive mood in daily life and contribute to the greater emotional well-being and bring social benefits as well (Very Well Mind). Evidence from research at Berkeley suggests that grateful young adolescents (ages 11-13), compared to their less grateful counterparts, are happier and more optimistic, have better social support, are more satisfied with their school, family, community, friends, and themselves, and give more emotional support to others. If you’re looking for ways to cultivate traditions of gratitude in your family, take a look at this blog we shared: Increasing Happiness and Well-Being Through Traditions of Gratitude.

The Board and Staff at Creating Together would like to take a moment to say how grateful we are for the honour of working with you and your little ones. Never doubt your impact on our lives, the meaningfulness of this work for us, and the impact of nurturing the children of our communities on creating a bright future.

Blessings of Gratitude and Abundance to you all!

National Indigenous History Month: Honouring Our History

June 29, 2021 by Melanie

June is National Indigenous History Month, and the 21st was National Indigenous People’s Day. This year, we honour the 25^th anniversary of celebrating the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

This year however, we all grapple with a very serious and tragic side of our history, and the month is dedicated to the missing children, the families left behind and the survivors of residential schools – a system set up by the Canadian government and administered by churches that had the nominal objective of educating Indigenous children and indoctrinating them into Euro-Canadian and Christian ways of living. The system forcibly separated children from their families for extended periods of time and forbade them to acknowledge their Indigenous heritage and culture or to speak their own languages. Accounts of horrific abuse among survivors are being shared today, however many children (The Missing Children) didn’t return home, either because they ran away or because they died of abuse or disease.

As families inheriting this history, we have many opportunities to learn about indigenous history and culture – but speaking about this history can be very hard. Yet, it is such an important part of our history as a country, and the evidence of this harsh history are all around us. Take a look at this article by Parenting Today, for quotes about the experiences of survivors, to help your children understand what happened.

You can also honour indigenous history and culture through things like art, crafts, language, stories. Be sure to check out all of the National Indigenous Peoples Day virtual activities happening across the country through Celebrate Canada, and learn more about indigenous history by trying some of these great activities.

Also, we encourage you to watch this reading of “We are Water Protectors” with your children, written by Anishinabe/Métis author Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Tlingit and Haida artist, Michaela Goade and discuss with children the history and ongoing settler-colonialism in what is currently known as Canada.