A Romanian Orthodox Easter

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Ana-MariaG

Traditional decorative Easter eggs from Romania
Photo by: KLMircea (Flickr)

Submission by Ana-Maria Gheorghiu

Not everybody celebrates Easter on the same date.
Western Christians and Eastern Christians follow two different religious calendars.
Western Christians (mainly Catholic and Protestant)
follow the Gregorian calendar,
and Eastern Christians (mainly Orthodox)
follow the Julian calendar.
The countries with the most Christian Orthodox believers are:
Russia, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Cyprus, Georgia, Macedonia,
Bulgaria, Moldova, Montenegro and Belarus.

I am Romanian, and I live in Vancouver, B.C.
Easter is the biggest religious holiday in my home country.

Continue reading →

Norooz with Saha – Audio

Posted on April 21, 2013 by NancyCarson

“Haft-seen” table at Saha’s house (detail)
Photo by: Saha Mousavi

Listen to the reader submission “Norooz with Saha”

CLICK HERE for the text version of this article.

Norooz with Saha

Posted on April 2, 2013 by NancyCarson

The “haft-seen” table at Saha’s house
Photo by: Saha Mousavi

Submission by: Saha Mousavi (age 11), a Grade 6 student at Vancouver’s Lord Roberts School

Saha came to Vancouver from Iran more than two years ago.

The word Norooz means “the new day” in the Persian language.
Norooz is the name of the important Iranian
or Persian New Year in the Persian calendar.
People of 13 other religions also celebrate this holiday.
The holiday goes on for 13 days.
People come to visit your home.
The kids get gifts for the New Year.

Continue reading →

Good Friday and Easter in Canada

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Nila Gopaul

Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church
Photo –Toby Hudson/Wikimedia

Good Friday is on March 29, 2013.
This Friday will be a public holiday in B.C.
This means many businesses and schools will be closed.
On Good Friday, Christians remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Easter Sunday is on March 31, 2013.
This day celebrates the belief that Jesus rose from the dead.
Easter Sunday is the most holy day of the Christian year.
Easter comes with spring renewal.
Many families spend time together on this day.
Churches also have special services.
Easter is fun for many children.
On Easter morning, children hunt for chocolate eggs.

Click here to read more about Easter.

Submitted by Patti-Lea Ryan

International Women’s Day – March 8, 2013

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Nila Gopaul

Women hold signs and protest. Photo by Les Bazso/The Province

On this day, people celebrate women’s equality around the world.

Did you know that of the G20 countries, Canada is rated the best country for women?
Germany was rated second; Britain was rated third; Australia was rated fourth; France was rated fifth and the U.S. was rated sixth.
Saudi Arabia was rated eighteenth and India was rated nineteenth.

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun

Visit the links:

Learn more about Women’s Day
See more poll results

Lunar New Year – February 10th!

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Nila Gopaul

The Beijing Little Peacocks school of dance walk during the Chinese New Year parade in Vancouver. Photo – Ward Perrin/The Vancouver Sun

People celebrate the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese Lunar New Year on February 10 this year. The Lunar New Year is often called the Chinese New Year.

Visit the link:

Things to do on the Lunar New Year

February is Black History Month

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Nila Gopaul

February is Black History Month.
Photo – Public Domain

“William Hall, born in 1825 in Summerville, Nova Scotia received the Victoria Cross, the highest British military award for bravery.”

Source: Trials and triumphs: the story of African-Canadians Lawrence Hill — Toronto: Umbrella Press, c1993. — 62 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 27 cm. — ISBN 1895642019. — P. 54 © Public Domain

February is Black History Month in Canada.
Celebrate in your town or city!

Visit the links:

British Columbia events

Black history in Canada

Family Literacy Day – January 27th, 2013

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Ana-MariaG

Photo credit: Jonathan Warner (Brimley – Flickr)

Family Literacy Day was created by ABC Life Literacy Canada 14 years ago, to raise awareness about how important it is to read to our children. This special day is on January 27th, but some events and activities take place on January 26th.

If you have the chance, stop by a Family Literacy Day event in your area, and you can learn facts on literacy in Canada and get advice on how to make reading time fun for your family. Check the link below to find out where your nearest event is.

The Westcoast Reader will be at Family Literacy Day at the West Vancouver Memorial Library, on January 26th, between 10:30 am – 11 am. CLICK HERE for event details.

LIST OF EVENTS: Family Literacy Day across Canada

My first Christmas in Denver

Posted on January 3, 2013 by NancyCarson

Dorsa with the meal she prepared for Christmas
Photo by: Saeid Ghiassi

My First Christmas in Denver

Reader submission from Dorsa Ghiassi (age 11) from Denver, CO

My name is Dorsa. I am Iranian. I am now living in Colorado, Denver. I had already lived in Vancouver for 2 years. This is my first Christmas in Denver, Colorado.

I decided to make a Christmas dinner all by myself. I went shopping to buy food for our dinner. I was going to buy a small turkey for three people: myself, my dad and my mom. But I found out that the smallest turkey would serve about 12 people! So I thought that instead of baking a huge turkey, I would bake chicken with vegetables. I would bake chicken with vegetables, Christmas cookies and pumpkin tarts which my friend Nancy taught me how to cook. Continue reading →

My first Christmas tree – Audio

Posted on January 3, 2013 by NancyCarson

Saha in front of her first Christmas tree
Photo by: Saeid Mousavi

Listen to the reader submission “My first Christmas tree”

My First Christmas Tree

Reader submission by Saha Mousavi – Vancouver, B.C.

I bought my first Christmas tree at Canadian Tire. When we went inside there were sooo many trees sparkling at us with their lights! There were big trees, small trees, pudgy trees and skinny trees. Continue reading →

	Phoning my mother
	Giving my mother a card or a gift
	Cooking her a meal
	Taking her out
	Spending time with her
	Honouring her memory (my mother has passed away)

The Official Westcoast Reader

An Online Resource for Adult Learners of English

Tag Archives: holidays

A Romanian Orthodox Easter

Norooz with Saha – Audio

Norooz with Saha

Good Friday and Easter in Canada

International Women’s Day – March 8, 2013

On this day, people celebrate women’s equality around the world.

Lunar New Year – February 10th!

People celebrate the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese Lunar New Year on February 10 this year. The Lunar New Year is often called the Chinese New Year.

February is Black History Month

“William Hall, born in 1825 in Summerville, Nova Scotia received the Victoria Cross, the highest British military award for bravery.”

February is Black History Month in Canada.
Celebrate in your town or city!

Family Literacy Day – January 27th, 2013

My first Christmas in Denver

My first Christmas tree – Audio

On this day, people celebrate women’s equality around the world.

People celebrate the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese Lunar New Year on February 10 this year. The Lunar New Year is often called the Chinese New Year.

“William Hall, born in 1825 in Summerville, Nova Scotia received the Victoria Cross, the highest British military award for bravery.”

February is Black History Month in Canada. Celebrate in your town or city!

February is Black History Month in Canada.
Celebrate in your town or city!