Sikhs have been in BC for over 100 years and Sikh Heritage Month in British Columbia is a time to honour legacy, celebrate diversity, and embrace unity. It’s a celebration of resilience, culture, and the enduring spirit of community that enriches us all. 

Check out some of the history of Sikhs in Squamish that we're building through our Sea to Sky Diversity Heritage project.

One of the most significant events during Sikh Heritage Month is Vaisakhi which is celebrated with parades, music, folk dances (like bhangra), and religious hymns (kirtans) in gurdwaras (Sikh temples). Vaisakhi originated as a spring harvest festival in the Punjab region of Northern India. In many parts of India, Vaisakhi marks the first day of the Hindu month of Vaisakh and the beginning of the Indian Solar New Year. In 2025, Vaisakhi will be celebrated on April 14.

You can learn more about Sikh Heritage through the many books and resources at your local library. 

Check out this amazing set of resources to learn more about Sikhs, their stories and their heritage 

Easter is the principal festival of the Christian church, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. It marks the end of Lent, a period of 40 days when many Christians engage in preparation for the celebration of Easter through fasting, prayer, and acts of charity. These sacrifices and good deeds are meant to show penance for sins they've committed. 

The date is based on the lunar cycle, and this year, Easter falls on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Good Friday (or Black Friday) marks the day Jesus was crucified, and Easter Sunday itself marks the day he rose from the dead.

Many Easter traditions are drawn from earlier folk customs and many are associated with the coming of spring and fertility, including the Easter lamb, and meals including eggs, ham, cheeses, bread, and sweets that have been blessed for the occasion.

The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The egg itself became a symbol of the Resurrection, as new life emerging from the eggshell. In the Orthodox tradition eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Find out more about Easter symbols.

Arab Heritage Month every April, provides Arab Canadians the space to showcase their rich culture while also recognizing their contributions, struggles, and lived experience throughout Canadian history. Did you know....? the first persons of Arab origin arrived in Canada in 1882. Since then, the Arab Canadian population has grown to over one million and continues to grow.

The Arab world comprises up to 22 countries stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Indian Ocean in the southeast. While the majority of people in the Arab world are ethnically Arab, there are also significant populations of other groups such as Berbers, Kurds, Somalis and Nubians. Arabic is spoken throughout the Arab world, though not all Arabs are Muslim, and not all Muslims are Arab.  

Learn more by checking out:

• our blog interviews with locals from Egypt & Syria. 

• this podcast interview with Christine Estima on her story collection reflecting on Syrian and Lebanese heritage in Canada.

• this list from the University of Calgary of books by and on Muslim Canadians

Supporting cultural & racial diversity

Building equitable community

Empowering equity & social justice