Why does Orangeville have tree sculptures?

Carved to preserve trees that have reached their life expectancy, the wooden sculptures located throughout Orangeville “Bring new life to old wood”(http://www.jimmenken.com/).  The first carving for Orangeville’s Art Walk of Tree Sculptures was displayed in 2003. Since then, 17 different artists have contributed to the program that currently contains 54 sculptures, distributed throughout the community. Each sculpture has a story behind its creation. For example, outside of the Lord Dufferin Retirement Home, their is a sculpture of two hands holding three hearts with a flower at the bottom called “Helping Hands and Caring Hearts.” This sculpture was created by Jim Menken in honour of Erna Baniulis for her 90th birthday. Ms. Baniulis was a nurse who served in World War 2 before immigrating to Canada. She and her husband later moved to Orangeville, where Ms. Baniulis co-founded two nursing homes: Elizabeth Nursing Home, and Lord Dufferin Centre. She has made a large impact within the Orangeville community over the years, and her work and effort is being honoured with this sculpture. Other sculptures represent events and traditions in Orangeville, including a tree carved for the Annual Blues and Jazz festival, located downtown. Some sculptures are sponsored by clubs, such as the Orangeville Lions Club, as a method of advertisement or recognition of something special. Orangeville’s Art Walk of Tree Sculptures will continue to grow, memorializing citizens and organizations that have made our community a better place.

Works Cited

Jim Menken Carving. www.jimmenken.com/Orangeville_Carvings.html. Accessed 22 Mar. 2017.

Lord Dufferin Centre. lorddufferincentre.ca/about/helping-hand-and-caring-hearts/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2017.

Orangeville Art Walk of Tree Sculptures. www.orangeville.ca/get-file/430.

Orangeville Tourism. orangevilletourism.ca/attractions/attraction/art-walk-of-tree-sculptures/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2017.

Colouring of the Easter Egg

Colouring Easter Eggs

What is part of my Canadian culture is the observance of the Christian holidays. The Easter holiday is a time of celebration. Easter marks the resurrection of Christ. Part of our tradition is colouring and hiding Easter Eggs. Colouring of eggs is a centuries old tradition and could be related to Lent when the egg was a forbidden food during fasting so it was coloured to mark the end, then eaten. Colouring of eggs is not just part of the Christian culture but many cultures. For example, the Iranians have painted eggs for thousands of years to mark the observance of their New Year that falls on the spring equinox.(Barooah web) The Easter egg may have originated from the Pagans, and the word Easter derived from “Norsemen’s Eostur, Eastar, Ostara, and Ostar, and the pagan goddess Eostre, all of which involve the season of the growing sun and new birth”(Barooah web) The amazing thing about Canadian Culture is that we are so diverse culturally that the Easter egg is not just a symbol for Christianity.
I can trace the Easter Egg tradition to my great grandparents, who passed it to my grandparents, then to my mother, and now I will carry on the tradition. The tradition of painting eggs is a symbol of rebirth and fertility. Jesus had died for the sins of others. Easter marks the day that Jesus was reborn and returned back to heaven. It is a time of hope; for the good will of God to overcome evil. Sounds like a Marvel cartoon. The reason why this tradition was passed on to me is because my family has faith in the christian religion. This faith has strengthened our family values and has helped shape who we are. After the Easter Egg festivities we gather, three generations, and have a great meal and take a moment to observe the holiday. What ever your faith may be in Canada, it is just a fun family time to paint eggs and celebrate.

Works Cited

Barooah, Jahnabi. "Easter Eggs: History, Origin, Symbolism And Traditions." Huffingtonpost.com, 31 Mar. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/easter-eggs-history-origin-symbolism-tradition_n_139. Accessed 2 Apr. 2017.

"Easter Symbols And Traditions." History.com, A&E Networks Corp., www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols. Accessed 2 Apr. 2017.

Holloway, April. "The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter." Ancient Origin, Ancient Origian, 20 Apr. 2014, www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/ancient-pagan-origins-easter-001571. Accessed 2 Apr. 2017.

Why Do We Play the National Anthem at Public Events?

Why Do We Play the National Anthem at Public Events?

The Canadian National Anthem, “O Canada,” was first written and performed in 1880. Over the years, new versions have been written, but the current version was made official under the National Anthem Act on June 27, 1980: one hundred years later. (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca)

All countries have an anthem, and Canada has a great one, but why do we play it? What makes a fan stand and remove their hat, or a student stand and sing? In the case of sporting events, athletes hear the anthem of their country and feel proud to be representing their home. One athlete, Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan, explains, “it definitely gets you pumped up because it puts in perspective that you’re playing for something bigger. It’s a country. It’s bigger than basketball” (National Post). Sporting events do not occur all of the time, so the place the anthem is most heard is public schools. Every morning, the day starts off with the singing of the national anthem. This can be seen as many things: paying respect to the country, an exercise of patriotism, remembering the struggles of the past, or as a tradition. The anthem has always been played at school, so the tradition will continue.  

Many versions of “O Canada” had their own time as the nation’s song, but each version changed with the changing views of the Canadian population. As years pass and history is created, the anthem will change to reflect Canada, but playing the anthem for any number of reasons will always be patriotic. Future generations will continue to show pride and patriotism in Canada by playing the anthem at public events.

Works Cited

Historica Canada. “O Canada.” Historica Canada, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/o-canada/.

Matheson, Keegan. “The Big Question About National Anthems at Sporting Events: Why?” Fansided, jaysjournal.com/2016/07/13/the-big-question-about-national-anthems-at-sporting-events-why/.

Szklarski, Cassandra. “Is It Time to Scrap the Singing of National Anthems at Sporting Events.” National Post, 15 July 2016, news.nationalpost.com/sports/is-it-time-to-scrap-the-singing-of-national-anthems-at-sporting-events. Accessed 18 July 2016.

Wikipedia. “National Anthem.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthem. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.