For a year after February 2020, many of our reports started with sentences that included the words "cancelled", "postponed" and anything else synonymous with COVID-19.
It was a sad year when the cancellation of traditional events and activities was such a common occurrence that it felt like it was turning into a new tradition.
Then 2021 didn't bring in too many changes, with us often reporting on things remaining postponed or cancelled until better days. One thing that has rejoiced the cockles of my heart was that hardly any local events wrapped up for good despite the challenges during those two years. The same goes for most local businesses.
The year 2022 finally brought a long-expected wave of "returns" and "comebacks" into the stories. I probably wrote over five dozen, if not more, articles about activities popping back up on schedule. The two-year break resulted in quite a few full houses and sell-outs, which was great to see.
Now that we are in 2023 and nearing the three-year anniversary of the big changes, the returns are coming to a full circle. We are finally heading into the Scotties Tournament of Hearts this weekend, and into the Tankard a bit later – something local curling fans have been waiting for years.
Another big return was the Robert Burns Night – the celebration of Scottish culture, traditions and heritage that has been dear to many local people for over 40 years. The Burns night was one of the first bigger events I got to cover as a reporter with the Mercury in 2019. It was also the first-ever event in my life related to Scottish culture and traditions. Plaid, sounds of military marches, scotch and haggis, all filled with meaning and intertissued in history. I just got a taste of the beauty of this event back then. The next year I couldn't make it and then it was paused.
So to be a part of it again after four years was a great pleasure. It was wonderful to see people back together, celebrating the cultural bonds that held their ancestors together and honouring their roots. It was great to see this tradition coming back to life.
Traditions matter, especially when there are so many fast-changing things around. We need traditions to keep some feeling of comfort in our lives. They give us a sense of belonging and bring us together. Traditions help build and then strengthen ongoing connections. They also help to reinforce shared values. Besides, traditions offer context.
Kilts, pipes and drums, haggis, stories about the life of Burns and his poems, are pretty much impossible for me to understand by ear – all those traditional pieces filled my head with historical images and took me back hundreds of years.
But it was the feeling I had afterwards that stood out the most. It was the feeling of the basic foundation and connection to the roots. The cultural elements that were highlighted and celebrated during the night have been tying generations of people for centuries. They reinforce that sense of support system and belonging.
Behind us are our parents, and their parents stand behind their backs, and so on, and even when memories fade the cultural bonds passed upon generations and maintained, despite distances separating people, keep us together and make us stronger. They allow us to continue the work started by previous generations, using their knowledge, rather than starting over.
We all have different backgrounds. Various cultures and traditions helped form us and made us who we are (even if we don't know much about our heritage). Keeping those traditions alive and passing them on to the next generations helps us stay connected even if we don't practise them as much as our ancestors did.
Besides, learning more about traditions helps us understand each other, understand others' values. Especially in Canada, a country built on immigration and a country that encourages and celebrates diversity. Understanding that cultural diversity, I think paves the way to peaceful and happy co-existence and enriches life.
The big, full-house Robert Burns Night that brought hundreds of locals (some with Scottish heritage, but many of different origins) together to celebrate Scottish traditions was a beautiful example of that. I sincerely enjoyed being a part of it and hope to see it continue for many more years.
And while covering traditional events becomes repetitive with time, I'd rather write about how things went than report that they were cancelled or are returning. So hopefully, now that we made an almost full circle of returns, we'll just get back to living through and enjoying what life brings instead of worrying about "uncertainty" (hopefully this popular COVID-times term will stick to retrospective stories as well).
