Post #9 -Diaspora and Immigration

Link to article: "St. Urho's Day is a fun way to appreciate our rich Finnish heritage."

“St. Urho’s Day is a fun way to appreciate our rich Finnish heritage”

As a second generation Canadian, I was excited to learn more about Diaspora and Immigration. As a Finnish-Canadian, I was intrigued to research Finnish Diaspora in Canada. What I found was that many Finns, like my father, left Finland to come to Canada and work. I also know many of them situated themselves not too far from me (the Durham Region) in a more northern city called Thunder Bay. Currently, this city has the highest Finnish-speaking population outside of Finland.

The article I will be discussing was an article from a website that offers news, information, opinions and positive ideas for Thunder Bay, Ontario, and for Northwestern Ontario. First of all, I would like to point out that I think it’s wonderful to have a news website that specifically highlights good news, especially when it has to do with the way that Canadians view multiculturalism. This website claims that feature columns from federal, provincial and municipal people in government have opportunity to share their ideas with us directly and openly.

In this article, Thunder Bay- Superior MP Bruce Hyer explained his gratification of the Finns who have inhabited the Thunder Bay community for more than 100 years. “St, Urho’s Day is a fun way to appreciate our rich Finnish heritage and the developing traditions of the Finnish Diaspora,” (Hyer, 2012).

The holiday is similar to the Irish St. Patrick’s Day and pays tribute to the mythological St. Urho. On this day all individuals in the community, Finnish and not, can celebrate with parades, fundraising, and a grand festival. What I was also pleased to find out was that there is an event named "FinnThunder 2012" which is an annual festival that celebrates Finnish- Canadian culture.

Scholar Parminder Bhachu explained that “The market is used not just as a straightforward mechanisms of exchange but also as a means of negotiating a Diasporic material form which expresses cultural pride…." (Bhachu, 2004). Although this is a different context, I believe that there is a negotiating between cultures that occurs in achieve harmony and unity within communities.

When I visited Helsnki, I came across this pub (and ate there, yum!). St. Urho's Day is a holiday celebrated similar to St. Patrick's Day.

What I like also like about this Thunder Bay community is that the Finnish enclave includes restaurants, and other public facilities that cater to the community. I believe that communities that celebrate diversity, and accept multiculturalism can not only thrive, but also spread awareness and help others to have an open mind.

To learn more about the Finnish- Canadian culture in Thunder Bay: Click here.

References

Bhachu, P. (2004). Dangerous designs: Asian women fashion the diaspora economics. New York: Routledge.

St. Urho’s Day is a fun way to appreciate our rich Finnish heritage. (2012, March 16). NetNewsLedger. Retrieved from http://netnewsledger.com/2012/03/16/st-urhos-day-is-a-fun-way-to-appreciate-our-rich-finnish-heritage-bruce-hyer/.