Martin C. Barry
The searing heat wave that descended on the Montreal region during Canada Day weekend wasn’t enough to keep thousands of people with Greek roots from all over Quebec from returning to their cultural origins when the Laval Greek Orthodox community held its Hellenic Summer Festival at Holy Cross Church in Chomedey.
The Laval Hellenic Summer Festival is one of the biggest Greek cultural events that takes place in Quebec each year. People arrive from many areas of eastern Canada, eager to meet and greet old friends and members of their extended families. In Laval there are an estimated 40,000 Greek residents.
Dignitaries cut the cake
Proceeds from each year’s festival support local Greek educational needs, as well as charitable causes in the Greek community. A highlight each year on July 1 is the Canada Day celebration with a large Canadian flag cake. This year, there were also stirring performances of traditional Greek dancing, as well as a demonstration of Chinese kung fu by students of a Laval martial arts school.
Among the many dignitaries who turned up were Laval city councillor Yannick Langlois (representing Mayor Marc Demers), Deputy Mayor David De Cotis, Laval-area Liberal MPs Fayçal El-Khoury and Eva Nassif, Quebec Liberal MNAs from Laval Guy Ouellette and Monique Sauvé, and Laval city councillors Aglaia Revelakis, Vasilios Karidogiannis, Aline Dib, Paolo Galati and Aram Elagoz.
A little rain on the party
“Last night we had rain, but it didn’t stop the party,” noted Dennis Marinos, Laval regional president of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal (HCGM) who was overseeing the multi-day event. “People continued dancing. The singer simply went under the tent to continue. Of course, we had to stop a little early because of thunder storms. But everything went well other than that.”
Chomedey MNA Guy Ouellette said that attending the Laval Greek Festival was a fitting way for him to cap Canada Day. “I couldn’t ask for a better way to conclude Canada Day than being with the Greek community this evening,” he said.
A proud Canadian
“Today is a day when we are proud to be Canadian, when we should announce our national pride to the entire world,” said El-Khoury. “I want the entire world to hear that we are Canadian and leading the world in humanitarian relief. I am proud to be here to participate in the Greek Festival as I do every year.”
“This is a very hot Canada Day,” said Nassif, noting that earlier in the day she attended a citizenship swearing-in ceremony at Laval’s Centre de la Nature, where 25 new Canadian citizens took an oath to become full-fledged citizens of the country.
Celebration of traditions
“More than 40,000 Greek people now live in Laval, and I am happy to be here every year with the Greek community,” said De Cotis. “When they are celebrating the Greek festival, they are celebrating their traditions, their heritage and their culture. It’s important that these traditions remain here in the City of Laval for the next generation.”
“Wherever they live, Canada is very important to everybody, to people who have immigrated to Canada and Laval,” said Revelakis. “It’s nice to see that people who come here to make a life for themselves believe in this country.” For his part, Karidogiannis said that Canada Day in Laval brings out the best that every community has to offer. “This is what Canada is about,” he said. “Bringing everybody together for a good and peaceful time with safety and prosperity.”
