Welcome 2017

I started my event list blogs at the end of 2015. The posts snowballed in 2016 in response to popular demand. I moved from an annual post to monthly posts. As London gained its first Muslim major in Sadiq Khan in 2016, I noted how it was possible to make my event lists an example of cultural diversity and inclusion.

Original intention

My original intention was simply to bring together a wide range of sources for my own diary. I could see the benefits of sharing my efforts with others. I was amazed at how many events take place within the translation industry. I was also conscious that many were not keen to promote the activities of rival organisations.

Active, Energised Sector

I saw the benefits of promoting an active and energised translation sector to potential clients and the outside world. It is not possible to attend every event. We can consult the programmes and gain an awareness of what is happening in our industry. Good ideas are shared by other colleagues and countries.

Change

When I started out as a freelancer many within the translation industry regarded marketing and social media somewhat dubiously. It has been interesting to see others actively promote themselves and their organisations in similar ways.

Cultural Diversity and Inclusion

As cultural competence is so important to good translation, I started including more and more cultural events. Along the way, it has become a labour of love motivated by my firm beliefs in cultural diversity and inclusion.

Remaining Connected

Brexit came as a huge shock. It became more important to stress a desire to remain European and globally connected.

Access to Multicultural Events

My modest contribution has simply been to include events from varied cultural backgrounds beside each other. My London base gives me access to a wide range of free multicultural events. I have shared my experiences on Twitter or in blogs.

Shared Customs

When we respect another culture’s festivals, we realise that have a lot in common and much to admire. The Bonfire Night firework display at Alexandra Palace mixed celebrations from different cultures. I noted how many festivals have their roots in customs adopted from earlier civilisations. Sometimes the true origin of a custom is disputed, confused or claimed by another country.

Merry Christmas again

Britain is traditionally a Christian country. It was interesting to note that this year, we could say ‘Merry Christmas’ more easily - rather than the PC ‘Season’s Greetings’ or ‘Happy Holidays’. 

British religious tolerance was very hard to win over centuries. It is a pity that there is no short-cut for other nations. We should all guard against any deterioration in British religious tolerance.

Inclusive Celebrations

London celebrates a wide variety of festivals for its multicultural communities.  I remember Chinese New Year, Easter, Eid, Diwali, Holi Festival of Colours, the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi and Hanukah. We had the Irish St Patrick’s Day Parade, Days of Poland, Hungarian Culture Day, a Malaysian day and the Japanese Matsuri festival. There was the Pride parade too. I have also deliberately highlighted events that consider accessibility for the visually impaired, deaf and disabled. I fear that I may have left many excellent events out.

Closer Communities

My 2017 wish is for London’s various communities to mix more readily. 2016 has been a worrying year for terrorism and extremism. The terrorists are a minority. I believe that allied with increased security to protect honest, law-abiding citizens, London has a good recipe for bringing its diverse communities closer together.

I share my hope for peaceful, inclusive communities in London with Paris, Nice, Brussels, Berlin and the world in 2017. Let's welcome 2017 with renewed hope.

I wrote the above before the terrible events in Turkey. My condolences to all the bereaved and injured. My hopes for 2017 remain and are redoubled.

London Calling 'Merry Christmas'

Joyeux Noël   Merry Christmas   

Frohe Weihnachten   Buon Natale

Feliz Navidad   Vrolijk Kerstfeest

Καλά Χριστούγεννα   God Jul

Merry Christmas from London. Above is the famous Norwegian Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. It looks fabulous reflected in the square's fountains. The tree is an annual gift as noted on the sign at its base:

This tree is given by the City of Oslo as a token 

of Norwegian gratitude to the

 people of London for their assistance during the 

years 1940 -1945.

A tree has been given annually since 1947.

The square has also been a site for carol singing and contains a nativity scene. The figures were carved by the Japanese-born artist Tomoaki Suzuki. He chose the figures to represent Britain's rich multicultural community today. The donkey and sheep were modelled on real animals at Hackney City Farm. The crib was first used in 2006.

The Norwegian tree remains London's most famous Christmas tree. Its arrival signals that Christmas is coming.

London’s Days of Poland Festival

Glorious sunshine greeted the Days of Poland Festival in London on 1^st May. The event was staged at Potters Fields Park between Tower Bridge and City Hall, home of London’s Mayor.

View of the crowds at Days of Poland from Tower Bridge

The Polish festival is an annual event to celebrate Polish culture in the UK. It was like a large family picnic with Polish food and entertainment. There didn’t appear to be anything nationalistic about the event at all.

Large family picnic at Days of Poland Festival, London

There is a large Polish community living, working and bringing up their children in London. The festival was an opportunity for Polish families to share their culture with their children and the rest of London.

Polish mother and son admire the biscuits on a stall

Everyone seemed welcome. I heard and saw many other nationalities joining in – especially Italians.

The food queues were already very long when I arrived. I decided to wait. Big mistake. The queues got longer every time that I passed. The Polish sausages and pierogi (Polish dumplings) were extremely popular with the crowds.

Polish folk dancing, music and singing took place on the stage. I managed to get a good view of some of the dancing while they were rehearsing. There were also many activities for children. The face painting was some of the most artistic that I have ever seen.

Large crowds watched the Polish folk dancing on stage

There were also lots of market stalls – from Polish builders to bakers. The event seemed to have lots of sponsors and was organised by a Polish public relations company.

Photo opportunity with one of the sponsors

I very much hope that the new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, maintains all London’s multicultural events. It’s great to share our cultures in this way.

Large crowd at City Hall for Days of Poland Festival

Karen Andrews runs

Anglicity Ltd. She is

a freelance digital 

marketer, copywriter, 

translator and 

transcreator.

See Karen's full 

contact details above

or email

karen@anglicity.com

Multicultural England and St George

Ordinarily St George’s Day passes in a puff of smoke. Does another nation that let its patron saint’s day pass with as little celebration as England? April 23^rd 2016 was a little more special than usual, but that was down to the Shakespeare 400^th anniversary celebrations, not St George.

My native city of Bristol apparently dropped St George’s Day celebrations altogether because the area is “too multicultural”. London is multicultural too - if anything even more so. Celebrations went ahead in Trafalgar Square.

Has London found the recipe to respect the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of all its citizens? 

 East Londoner Nathalie Coleman, the 2013 TV MasterChef,
cooks her variation on Eton Mess with Rhubarb and Star Anise

I have already blogged about a number of the events in Trafalgar Square in the past year. I wasn’t able to attend every cultural event, but am aware that I missed a number. London celebrated Eid, Diwali, Holi Festival of Colours, Vaisakhi and Chinese New Year.

In December, a Jewish Menorah stood in Trafalgar Square for Hanukah alongside the traditional Christmas tree. The enthusiastic Irish celebrations of St Patrick’s Day feature in a previous blog. I have also written about Brazil and French Bastille Days.

At Easter, I watched a Passion Play in Trafalgar Square. This was the result of months of hard work by enthusiastic volunteers. The story of Jesus is a powerful one, even if you do not share the Christian faith.

Just before Easter my car had to have its MOT. I was mightily relieved when it did not cost me the anticipated “fortune”. As the keys were returned to me, I wished my mechanic a Happy Easter. Noting his Sikh turban, I quickly added the word “break”. I didn’t wish to offend. No offence was seemingly taken as he walked away smiling. It was a Bank Holiday for both of us after all.

Later I looked up Sikh traditions. I noted that Sikhs worship one God, have rejected the caste system, believe in living honestly and working hard. They also believe in being generous to those less fortunate than themselves. Much in common therefore.

My children have learnt all about different cultures and their celebrations at school. At Primary School, they learnt about the Swedish festival of light, Eid, Diwali lamps, the Nativity, Chinese New Year, Hanukah, Buddhism, Easter rabbits, St Nicholas, etc. They enjoyed hearing all the stories related to other faiths and celebrating the festivals important to other children in their classes.

Adopting another culture’s customs is nothing new. At Christmas, I wrote how Christmas trees came to us via Germany - although other countries claim the tradition too. I wrote about Austrian Kipferl and how other nations claim the recipe. I looked at the origins of Easter and discovered many Pagan and Jewish Passover connections.

You don’t need to go too far back in British history to see how religious beliefs tore our nation apart. The wounds of religious wars took generations to heal. 

St George's Day 2016 in Trafalgar Square

Today, England is a tolerant nation. The past shows us that we should absorb rather than drop our own beliefs and celebrations.  Ignorance and fear hamper multicultural integration. Sharing our different cultural traditions and celebrations is an important part of understanding. When we understand better, the beliefs don’t seem so different underneath.