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Christmas with a Sikh
spirit in Burnaby
WSN Network
Burnaby: The Sikhs of Burnaby got into
Christmas spirit in a big way last Sunday. A Christmas celebration
at the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha temple, 7271 Gilley Ave, featured an
18-meter-long Christmas card made by students at the temple's Sunday
school.
Instead of turkey and eggnog, 200 revellers dined on pakoras and
tea. It's all part of the temple's push to teach members about other
cultures, said board member Jai Birdi.
"If we believe in including everyone, there's no reason to be
excluding Christmas," Birdi said in an interview.
While some have argued Christmas greetings offend new Canadians, the
temple has chosen to educate members about the holiday, Birdi said.
The board recently started referring to the temple as a community
centre, a way to make South Asian immigrants who are Christian,
Buddhist and Hindu feel more welcome, Birdi said.
Many Sikhs revere the teachings of Christ, whose birth Christians
celebrate at Christmas, Birdi said, adding the two faiths have
common ground. For one thing, Sikhism preaches that all people are
equal, a reaction against India's rigid caste system.
"Christ taught equality. That message is very important, because in
India, if people are of a lower caste, they're mistreated," he
added.
About 60 children worked on the card, which was presented to Mayor
Derek Corrigan at the party. While some were as young as three,
seniors at the temple also chimed in.
Pastor Randolph Bruce of All Saints Anglican Church also made an
appearance. The party was such a huge hit with local kids, the
temple will consider doing it again next year.
Burnaby-Edmonds MLA Raj Chouhan said the party shows local Sikhs'
acceptance of Canadian traditions.
"It's a tradition that we want to celebrate with all the other
traditions," said Chouhan, the NDP's multiculturalism critic.
"If we're so proud of Canada as a multicultural country, we should
make sure all cultures are celebrated," he said.
2 Januuary 2008
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