Culture

[caption id=“attachment_2662” align=“aligncenter” width=“800”] To live in hearts we leave behind Is not to die. ~Thomas Campbell, “Hallowed Ground”[/caption] What a way to remember one’s dead! The Day of the Dead or Dia de Muertos celebrations took place here in Toronto yesterday at Harbourfront and is taking place again today. It’s a two day Festival which has its roots in Mexico. The atmosphere was festive rather than mournful - although all the paraphernalia surrounding death was visible there. “The Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, takes place over the first two days of November. Its origins are a mixture of Native American traditions and a set of Catholic holidays. While the holiday’s observances include spending time in cemeteries, making shrines to the dead, and displaying artistic representations of skulls and skeletons, the occasion is festive, rather than morbid. Death isn’t seen as the end of one’s life, but as a natural part of the life cycle; the dead continue to exist much as they did in their lives, and come back to visit the living every year.” (Factmonster.com) Would that we would all be like the Mexicans who are able to have joyful and celebratory feelings about death and dying. This is truly a blessing. ...

[caption id=“attachment_2540” align=“aligncenter” width=“800”] There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all. - Anonymous[/caption] It was “Mabuhay” time in Toronto at the end of August. The Philippine Independence Day Council’s Mabuhay Philippines Festival was held at David Pecaut Square. It was a very colourful and beautiful event which I enjoyed immensely. I didn’t know what the word mabuhay meant so I decided to find out. “This is our eternal greeting to everyone here and abroad, our salute to life as we raise our San Miguel beers. The word roughly can be translated to mean “to be alive, to live life!” It is a call to bring that sense of celebratory joy to everything about life…and that is why the resonance of the DOT slogan “ Its more fun in the Philippines! Mabuhay encompasses all the colorful fiestas of our country, where community seeks to come together to celebrate something. Even funeral wakes are a way to bring people together for poker and mah-jong!” (echonewspost.com) ...

“Hula is the art of Hawaiian dance, which expresses all we see, smell, taste, touch, feel, and experience. It is joy, sorrow, courage, and fear. ” – Robert Cazimero Sometimes we don’t have to cross the ocean to have that “aloha” feeling. Last Saturday there was an amazing Hawaiian themed afternoon at the Grenadier right here in Toronto’s west end. It was a beautiful day and hula dancers graced the outdoor patio entertaining everyone with their gentle swaying movements. A professional hula dancer together with a vibrant, spirited musical accompanist, entertained in the social area upstairs as well. Two parties - both Hawaiian - taking place in the same building. The spirit of aloha abounded here. “The real meaning of Aloha in Hawaiian is that of Love, Peace, and Compassion. It’s the guidelines of how to live – a life of Aloha is one when the heart is so full it is overflowing with the ability to influence others around you with your spirit.” (Local’s Guide to Kauai) The staff at the Grenadier definitely created that Aloha spirit. ...

[caption id=“attachment_2487” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, All my dreams, come back to me. (Henry Wadford Longfellow)[/caption] Beautiful pictures take us on journeys we might never pursue ourselves. Artistic expression comes out of the artist on to the canvas or computer and we decide for ourselves whether it has an emotional appeal for us or not. It’s not always a conscious decision but rather something that takes place within our hearts, souls, and spirits. Just as we choose that “Like” button so frequently on Facebook to express our approval of what we feel about a certain image, a “Like” happens within our hearts on viewing a beautiful image. The artist’s rendition resonates within us on a deep level within. “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” ~ Aristotle ...

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness. ~John Steinbeck This is the time of year when it’s easy to feel “down” with the weather. Christmas is over and all the bright lights, Christmas trees, get-togethers, and festivities of the season have come to an end. The freezing winter temperatures have descended upon us and it’s only January. Winter is a challenging time for getting around especially for those of us who are Senior Citizens. We worry about slipping and falling, getting the flu, shovelling the snow, not to mention all those layers of clothing we have to put on to even go outside. ...

Toronto’s Allan Gardens is worth a visit over the holidays. As you can see from the above collage, the theme this year is musical. There’s someone playing a piano and to the right, there’s another musician with a bass instrument. “During the Victorian Christmas Show, the conservatory is decorated and filled with thousands of flowering plants and over 40 different varieties of poinsettias. The opening on the first Sunday in December features Christmas carollers, horse and wagon rides, hot apple cider and freshly baked cookies. The show runs until the end of December and the conservatory is opened late on weekends and can be viewed by candlelight.” (Wikipedia) ...

[caption id=“attachment_2261” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] The artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web. ~Pablo Picasso[/caption] ...

“The arrival of a good clown exercises a more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than of twenty asses laden with drugs.” ~ Thomas Sydenham The above photo is of my friend, Inge, who is eighty-six years young and a graduate of Ryerson’s Caring Clown Program. The photo is not mine but was one that Ryerson used on their 2013 Brochure for the Program. For several years Inge’s been telling me about her clowning and especially about her visits with other caring clowns to Nursing Homes. We talked many times about me seeing her all dressed up and taking her picture. It just never happened though. ...

It doesn’t seem so long ago that I wrote the post “Summer’s Gone” and here I am writing about Thanksgiving. In Canada, this long holiday weekend falls in October. Fall is definitely here in all its beauty and the harvest has been reaped. The weather is cooler now and the colors have changed. Time does go by! It’s fun to pick up the leaves and admire their colors. The ones I’m holding here are from the St. Martin’s church yard where I had stopped to take some pictures. My father died in October 2000 and as the date approaches, I’m thinking of him. He wrote a poem called “Autumn Leaves” which I shared in its entirety in another post. In that poem, he was wondering when the leaves show their true colors. The first verse talks about Spring, and in the second, he’s wondering whether it’s in the Fall: ...

“Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.” (Anonymous) Every couple wants their wedding to be memorable and to reflect their own tastes, styles, and traditions. While I’m very aware that a wedding is not a marriage, but only the start - these occasions come filled with a promise and hope for love, family, and life, that matches no other earthly celebration. All the images in the collages here were taken at memorable weddings of close family and friends. Enjoy! ...