|
|
|
January 20, 2013
World
Religion Day fosters community in Ottawa
By Fiona Buchanan
OTTAWA — More than 100 people
from different faith groups gathered at
city hall Sunday afternoon to celebrate World Religion Day.
This year marks the 13th anniversary of the event in Ottawa and was
hosted by the Ottawa Baha’i Community.
François Couillard, a volunteer from the Baha’i Community, said the
goal of the celebration was to bring together different religious
groups by emphasizing their similarities.
“We come here with the spirit of bringing together what we have in
common, and that really works,” Couillard said. Acknowledging that
religions have differences in practices and beliefs, Couillard said
religious groups, at their core, all strive for the same things.
“They want to live in peace and harmony, and improve the world we live
in,” he said.
The event was led by Waubgeshig Rice, a CBC videojournalist from
Wasauksing First Nation, and Afsoon Houshidari of the Baha’i Community.
“Our goal today is to share a message of unity and diversity with the
hope for a beautiful future,” said Rice.
The ceremony started with a classical Indian dance by two women dressed
in bright green saris with bells fastened around their ankles that
jingled as they danced. Tanya Chandrashekar and Shalini Cherla-Chandan
represented the Hindu faith with their dance honouring the God Ganesha
and the Goddess Saraswathi.
Mayor Jim Watson made a brief appearance to proclaim Jan. 20, 2013
World Religion Day in Ottawa. Watson said he wants city hall to be
welcoming community space for events such as World Religion Day.
“Last year alone, 140,000 people came to visit Ottawa City Hall,”
Watson said. “Unfortunately, most of those were to pay their taxes and
parking tickets; we’re trying to change that.”
The audience heard speeches from Erin Benincasa, a Jewish student at
Carleton University, and Gary Pluim, a Presbyterian pursuing his PhD in
global education. Performances were given by the Chorale de la Pariosse
Sainte Marie, a French-Catholic choir, and Fine Line, a Mormon trio.
The event concluded with a lively performance by the Tamir Nesaham
Choir of the Jewish Community, which brought the audience to its feet,
clapping and singing together. Jonah Nemiroff, 12, accompanied the
choir on keyboard. He volunteers his time with the choir as part of his
bar mitzvah project.
Lynne Anderson, the soprano singer of Fine Line, said she loved being a
part of World Religion Day and that she wished there were more events
that bring different groups together.
“Seeing everybody come together to sing, laugh and have a great time,
that’s the sense of community that I think something like this is
trying to bring about,” Anderson said.
“The community is not just your congregation, it’s not just your
neighbourhood, it’s not even just Ottawa,” she said. “It is the world,
but you can start where you are. And it’s nice that we all come
together.”
|
|
|
|
|
