Celebrating diversity in Charlottetown | SaltWire

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Music and motion stuffed downtown Charlottetown on the first of 5 DiverseCity Multicultural Pageant deliberate for P.E.I. this summer time.

Queen Avenue was lined with tents, from Grafton to Sydney streets, June 26, and distributors, households and performers mingled underneath the solar.

Two of these taking within the sights had been Pauline Ascoli and Denis Bélanger. The chums are visiting P.E.I. from Quebec and stopped on the pageant on their method to Cavendish. SaltWire Netowrk discovered them exterior a sales space that includes Japanese tradition.

Each Bélanger and Ascoli have a daughter in Japan, Bélanger’s in Fukuoka and Ascoli’s in Hokkaido.

Japan and P.E.I. are firmly linked in her thoughts via the recognition of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Inexperienced Gables books.

“I’ve learn all of them twice,” she mentioned.

When requested why they’re so significant, she grew to become emotional.

“(It’s about) the fantastic thing about adoption,” she mentioned.

Japan can also be the house county of Ascoli’s son, whom she adopted “the day of his beginning.” Now 19, he’s finding out at a CÉGEP in Quebec.

When Bélanger noticed the Japanese sales space, he was eager to test it out and check out on one of many yakuta – a standard summer time garment just like a kimono.

“I believed it will be cool for my daughter to see her father in it,” he mentioned, including he’ll ship her a photograph. “So, part of me can exit to our daughter.”

Good to know

There are 4 extra possibilities to absorb a DiverseCity pageant this summer time.

Right here’s the schedule:

• Alberton, July 3, 12-6 p.m.

• Évangéline, July 10, 12-4 p.m.

• Summerside, July 24, 2-9 p.m.

• Three Rivers, July 31, 2-10 p.m.

Tons to see

The pageant was set to run from midday till 8 p.m. with a packed lineup of musical and cultural performances on the out of doors mainstage and a big number of tasty treats and actions for all ages within the tents lining the streets.

Zahra Fatima was making use of henna to Lacey Miltenberger’s arm within the tent staffed by the Immigrant and Refugee Providers Affiliation of P.E.I. (IRSA).

Fatima mentioned she’s been drawing with henna for round 10 years and realized by watching her mom.

“She used to do henna on us for Eid,” mentioned Fatima, referring to the celebration that follows Ramadan.

Rawia Al Shami was working in the identical tent with IRSA – and letting her newly-applied henna dry.

“It’s a part of our tradition,” mentioned Al Shami. “We do it throughout celebrations.”

On stage, warming up the viewers for the opening ceremonies had been Julie Pellissier-Lush and the Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors.

Taite Wooldridge and Samuel Campbell danced in regalia for one track, then Pellissier-Lush started the highly effective ladies’s track wherein every younger lady on stage took a flip within the lead.

Subsequent to the stage, ready to carry out was a gaggle of women and men sporting Ukrainian vishivanka – historically embroidered shirts.

“Each area has its personal sample,” mentioned Alexandra Bezruchko, who was sporting a navy-blue shirt with royal blue and white stitching.

“There are totally different meanings for the stitches too,” mentioned Zoriana Stelmashchuk, who was clad in a white shirt with violet flowers, including vishivanka was worn for under essentially the most particular events, however have gotten so in style, persons are sporting them extra usually.

Watching the motion had been busy mother and father Hiba Garad and Mohamuad Habash. The couple moved to P.E.I. from Syria 5 years in the past and are settled on P.E.I with no plans to go away, mentioned Habash.

They had been on the pageant with their 4 kids, Nidal, Fawaz, Yusaf and Assel, aged between 10 and 5 months.

Close by was Anthonia Mbaeri, wearing conventional clothes from her house nation Nigeria. She works at Key Murray Legislation, one of many occasion sponsors.

“We’re various and revel in working in Charlottetown,” she mentioned.

There are 4 extra DiverseCity occasions deliberate for communities across the Island.