Caption
This month Canadians from coast to coast are preparing to celebrate the great Christian festival of Christmas. In remote fishing villages along the rugged coast of Newfoundland and in lumbering camps deep in the heart of British Columbia's forests, in the far reaches of Canada's vast northland and across the wide prairies, in tiny French-Canadian towns and in bustling, multi-lingual Canadian cities, old and young alike are busily engaged in a flurry of activity to herald the joyous day. Across the starry stillness of December nights millions of voices will be raised in song as the familiar carols ring out across the land. This year one hundred thousand new Canadians will be celebrating Christmas in Canada for the first time. To the traditional customs of midnight service, carolling, family reunions, turkey dinner and Santa Claus, Dutch Canadians will add their delightful legend of Black Peter, Ukrainians will bring the ritual of their 12-course meal and the symbolic straw beneath the table. In this way, each year, the fabric of Canadian life has been enriched, for the nearly two million immigrants who have settled in Canada since the end of the Second World War have brought with them the folkways, songs and stories from the country of their birth, adding colour and variety to the joyous festivities which make up the tapestry of a Canadian Christmas.
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928