While Family Day is steeped in tradition, the beauty of the holiday is in the cultural nuances that have developed across the panorama of Ontario's population. In this Primer, we focus on the baseline traditions that have the deepest roots and the longest-standing observance.
The Family Day Meal
It is traditional to get take-out Asian food on Family Day. Some families do Thai, others Cantonese or Sushi. I've heard tell of Indian fare being served on some families' tables or even a dim sum brunch. The important thing is that the food is Asian and that it's take-out (which makes dim sum complicated, but still doable).
While time has obscured the meaning behind take-out Asian, most believe it's because early families "just felt like it".
The Family Day Guest
While it is important that families stay together on Family Day, it is also tradition to raid someone else's family for the esteemed Family Day Guest. Nobody knows why this tradition came to be, nor how to implement it fairly - but traditions are sometimes like this. It's important to keep in mind when raiding someone else's family that it's their problem, not yours.
Family Day Carols
After dinner is done, fortune cookies have been broken and shared, and chopsticks and take-out containers have been disposed of - it's time for some rousing Family Day Carols. Everyone has their favourites, but some of the more commonly sung are:
- 'We are Family' by Sister Sledge
- 'Family Affair' by Sly and the Family Stone
- 'We're a Happy Family' by the Ramones
- 'Family Man' by Fleetwood Mac
- and of course that old chestnut, 'The Family Guy Theme Song'
On Family Day, it is of course traditional to exchange gifts that the whole family can benefit from. That's why hardware stores always stock up on home improvements, cookware, and cleaning supplies during the period of shopping frenzy leading up to the big day. And given Family Day's place in February, shovels usually fly off the shelves - so buy yours early!
Family Day Activities
After eating, singing, and gift-giving (and having endured the necessary 55 or so minutes together), it is now important for each member of the family to do their own thing so they can abide each other's company on the next Family Day. Mom cleans up. Dad goes to the bathroom then flips on the TV (sequence is based on individual need). Children grab their previously confiscated phones and dash to their rooms. Take a breath everyone, a year's a long time until we have to do this again!
Note: "A Simcoe Day Primer", the next in this series, is scheduled for publication in summer, 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment