Celebrating
Diwali
Remarks
by the Hon. David Kilgour
Secretary
of State (Asia-Pacific) and
Member
of Parliament for Edmonton
Southeast
House
of Commons
October
28, 2002
Ottawa
Excellencies,
ladies and gentleman,
Diwali,
The Celebration of Lights,
is one of the most celebrated
festivities in the Hindu faith.
Uniting all members of the
community, young and old,
rich or poor, the lighting
of the lamps represents a
way of paying respect to God
for attainment of health,
knowledge, peace and so on.
Ceci
n’est qu’un autre exemple
d’une célébration culturelle
dans laquelle les traditions
et les valeurs fondamentales
sont passées d’une génération
à l’autre.
Deeply
rooted in the legend of the
return of Rama, from a 14-year
exile, Diwali celebrations
are also associated with the
worship of the Goddess Lakshmi
and the beginning of the financial
year. In a sense, it marks
a period of renewal, where
hopes reign high for the future
to come.
De
telles légendes renferment
d’importantes leçons pour
nous tous, et même encore
aujourd’hui.
En effet, c’est en
apprenant de nos ancêtres
que nous allons avoir les
outils nécessaires à avancer
dans la vie.
Many
of you here tonight have come
with your families. Families
are the basic unit of any
community. Not only are you
ensuring that family traditions
are strengthened, but you
are also strengthening the
ties of the Hindu-Canadian
community in an environment
in which your neighbours can
also learn important lessons
from you.
We
are most fortunate to live
in a country that promotes
religious diversity. We all
have the opportunity to learn
from one another and grow
collectively as Canadians.
Light
is always associated with
hope for the future. It is
therefore appropriate that
the future of this country,
its children, are here tonight.
J’encourage
chacun et chacune de vous
ce soir à continuer à enseigner
à être fiers de ce que vos
ancêtres ont accompli et à
nous apprendre à respecter
les différences.
By following
this path, we will be able
to move forward, and attain
new heights.
Finally,
a word about bridge building
post 9/11. Three books have
been written in Canada on
the subject, including one
in Calgary, and all have explained
that Canadians, following
9/11 choose not to retreat
from but rather embrace multiculturalism
in the days and weeks that
followed.
Thank-you/Merci
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