Canada Day will be here and thousands of South Asian Canadians will be celebrating with a bash, however most will stick to their holiday routine of spending time with family, barbequing, or heading to the beach.

South Asians are Canada’s biggest visible minority, numbering over 1.3 million according to the 2006 census.

For Canada Day, South Asian Canadians, like most Canadians, will be going about their holiday routine of meeting and greeting family members, potluck parties, and as one youth put it “fireworks, fireworks and fireworks”.

The South Asian Canada Day, an annual event, will be returning on July 27 to Mississauga, and is a chance for South Asians to celebrate Canada Day with their own spicy twist. The event will be filled with food, clothes and jewellery, and of course cultural dance shows.

Another such event will be taking place at Granville Island, Vancouver, where Canada Day ceremonies will be paralleled with a South Asian styled Mela. As always, food, clothes, jewellery, fireworks and cultural shows will be the highlight of the day.

Canada has a lot to offer to the culturally rich folks of South Asia, such as freedom to practice religion, culture, and security, but celebrating Canada Day among these communities of Canada does not appear to be too common.

“I am not sure if there is a particular way of celebrating Canada Day” asked Puneet Aurora, a Markham resident and second generation South Asian.

“The routine is same as any other holiday. To spend time with family or hit the beach and end the day with fireworks.”

The attraction to Canada Day by the South Asian community is derived from a myriad of factors. Those who have been in Canada for roughly thirty years have seen the evolution of the Canadian government, from immigration policies to an increase in multicultural favouritism. These individuals have a firsthand account of the effort that Canada has put into providing autonomy to these cultural communities.

But does the Canadian government stretch itself too thin? In incorporating not only the South Asian community, but all self identified cultural groups, perhaps it is sacrificing the magnitude of a day as important as Canada Day. Does Canada Day lose its significance as each cultural community has their own specialized celebrations or festivals?

Not according to Eman Cheema. “Canada is about freedom of choices and freedom of expression. We cannot force others to follow our ways and call ourselves open minded and democratic and multicultural,” says Eman Cheema, a resident of Mississauga. Many others also share the same viewpoint.

It may be important to note that Canada Day is seen as another opportunity to indulge in one’s own customs and rituals. Essentially the idea is to practice culture and customs freely, and to not indulge in anything that seems uneasy to anyone.

There are also those who look forward to life in Canada every day, and every day feels like a blessing. They need no date to tell them when they can celebrate the greatness of this country that gave them so much.

“Every day is Canada Day for me and my family. Canada has given us a high standard education, freedom of expression, security, equality and, best of all, has accepted us the way we are.” says Rasha Muhamad, a third year Business student at York University and a first generation Canadian.

While many might not show pride by waving a flag, they sure are pleased with the freedom and choices they can make.

The notion behind Canada Day, and what Canada stands for today is being met by every individual, no matter that they do to celebrate. They are celebrating freedom, which is what Canada is all about.

Co-authored By: Qasim Ali  & Myuri S. Komaragiri