Celebrating Vaisakhi on Campus

On Tuesday April 14th the students and staff celebrated Vaisakhi on Campus. The Campus had festive decorations in the Reception area and hallways, with a bright "Happy Vaisakhi” banner to greet students and guests. The Student Services and Marketing teams brought in some South Asian snacks for the students and staff to enjoy. A brief background on Vaisakhi: Originally Vaisakhi had been a time when farmers took to harvest and celebrated the coming year. In 1699 Vaisakhi took on new meaning as a traditional Sikh holy day to mark the birth of the Khalsa fraternity, who the Guru Gobind Singh created to rise above the weakness and turmoil of the time and to uphold justice, and be fair and even handed. To pay tribute to the harvest celebration roots of Vaisakhi students and staff feasted on samosas, tikkas, and various traditional sweets.

At Stenberg College we take pride in the fact that we are a multicultural campus with our students having roots all around the world. Any time that can be taken to allow student to share their culture and history is a fantastic learning experience for both staff and students. This event allowed students to experience the foods and traditions of another culture while engaging with students from other cohorts. South Asian students were great cultural ambassadors and answered questions from their classmates about the food and the holiday. It was terrific to see the open sharing of cultures and knowledge…such as the samosa sauce being a must-have for enjoying the treats! It was a great mix of community and culture for the students and staff of Stenberg College.

Reference: http://www.surreyvaisakhiparade.ca/files/what-is-vaisakhi.php