The holidays are already here and while I am incredibly excited about this time of year, I’m usually also incredibly nostalgic.
I’m from Guyana. I moved to Canada four years ago and if you’re also an immigrant, you’ll probably know exactly how I feel. For the most part, I’m appreciative that I get to live here but whenever the holidays come around, the longing to return home intensifies.
This isn’t to say that the holidays in Canada are lacking. In fact, they’re almost exactly what I expected, except, what I expected and even looked forward to, isn’t subjectively merrier than what I’ve experienced.
My end-of-year celebrations begin with Diwali since I am Hindu and end with Christmas since that is widely celebrated in Guyana. For one thing, Diwali is a national holiday and the celebrations collectively in Guyana begin from weeks before. The country celebrates collectively regardless of cultural background and this spirit of unity continues until New Year’s Day.
The festive spirit, the togetherness, the blending of cultures and people during this time, the warmth in the atmosphere – it is unmatched. So, my holidays after moving to Canada became less about embracing the celebrations here and more about replicating what I’ve always known.
I’ve never had to actively play festive music because a few of the neighbors in my neighborhood were unofficially the DJs for our street. They’ll begin from weeks before of course and everyone welcomes their music and its ability to get us into the spirit every day. When I moved though, I quickly realized that my neighbourhood would always be quiet. There are no unofficial designated DJs here. But creating and actively playing my songs in the apartment did wonders for bringing us into the festive mood.
In Guyana, there are several events that happen country-wide in celebration of Diwali and later, Christmas. These events often feel more festive to me than anything I might experience in Canada even if there is snow here. I think it’s the element of familiarity and our own unique traditions. But making sure to tune in to as many virtual events hosted in Guyana is now part of our holiday celebrations.
Decorating our home as we would in Guyana is also another activity we’ve made a priority here. While we have fewer families and friends to invite and visit, the warmth that fairy lights and crepe paper decor can bring into our home keeps surprising me. Of course, the most important aspect of our celebration in Guyana is how much we come together and the warmth created from that togetherness. But, fairy lights are decent at creating a warm atmosphere too.
Of course, all celebrations include food and so in Guyana, there are a few traditional dishes that are popular during the holidays. Instead of adapting to what might be popular here, we’ve stayed with the traditional dishes as another one of our small attempts to bring a Guyanese celebration to our home.
These attempts can of course never replace the holiday season in Guyana but they’ve gotten us through the holidays. If you’re also new to somewhere and are nostalgic for your own celebrations, finding small ways to replicate what you’ve always known might just get you through the nostalgia.
I hope the beginning of the holiday season is happy for you!