Expats and Newcomers | Celebrate Québec here as elsewhere

Whether you have left Quebec or have just landed there, June 24 is more than just a date on the calendar. The Press surveyed expats and newcomers to find out how they mark the national holiday.

Adopt Quebec

Saf Hakawati

Born in Saudi Arabia to a Quebec father and a Lebanese mother, Saf Hakawati lived his youth in the Middle East, and moved to Quebec in 2020. Since he lives there, Saf proudly considers Quebec as his country. . He settled here at the age of 18 to continue his studies at McGill University, but also to live his identity freely.

Even though he studies in an English-speaking world, Saf Hakawati cherishes French and Quebec culture with passion. This is why the national holiday occupies an important place in his heart.

“My parents got married on June 24, he says, so it has always been an important day for us. But it was only when I arrived in Quebec that I really understood what Saint-Jean meant. »

For him, it is a day of gathering. “No matter our origin or our sexual orientation, we all come together to celebrate a common culture on Saint John’s Day. I find it great! »

In addition to the celebrations, the young man sees June 24 as an opportunity to learn more about the history of Quebec, which he considers to be a “citizen’s duty”.

Saf Hakawati therefore invites everyone to celebrate, because according to him, “diversity makes a country stronger, but we must remain united in our culture”.

Simone Caron, The Press

Maryam Gholami

Last year, Maryam Gholami was dancing in her living room while watching the big National Day show on television. This year, she will take part in the festivities to celebrate Quebec for its unique culture and language.

Maryam Gholami left her native Iran to settle in Quebec on November 24, 2021 with her husband.

As soon as she arrived, she wanted to learn French. Because for her, “being Quebecois means speaking French”. She had also taken French courses at university in Iran, when she was 18 or 19 years old. Unable to practice, she had to put the language aside. She is therefore very grateful to be able to relearn it. “Thank you, Quebec! “, she launched in an interview.

For Maryam Gholami, the national holiday is first and foremost a cultural event, the celebration of a unique culture. She particularly likes the song People of the countryby Gilles Vigneault, since she heard it at the end of the show broadcast last year.

Maryam Gholami stresses the importance of respecting and cherishing all languages ​​and cultures. “Together we are stronger, we form a beautiful big garden made up of a multitude of flowers of different colors. »

Melissa Khadra, The Press

Elena Leontyeva

Elena Leontyeva, a Russian who has been living in Montreal for two and a half years, came to Quebec because she believes it is a good place to secure the future of her 6-year-old son. Comparing herself to her few Quebec friends, she says that she does not yet feel Quebec, but that it is coming “step by step”.

To celebrate the national holiday, she plans to put on white and blue clothes and head for Maisonneuve Park waving her fleur-de-lysé flag. “In addition to keeping my traditions, I also want to give something new to my son, because you have to be part of Quebec culture,” she says.

The national holiday reminds him of Ivan Kupala, a holiday celebrated on July 7 in his home country. This annual event, which was once religious, is now cultural, just like June 24 in Quebec.

She is a little perplexed when the time comes to differentiate the national holiday of Quebec and Canada Day. “Why the 1^er July, while Canada Day is celebrated in the rest of the country, Quebec is moving? asks Elena. Without knowing it, she asks a question that indicates that her integration is already well underway.

Patrick MacIntyre, The Press

Juan Alejandro Home

Although he only arrived in Quebec last fall, Juan Alejandro Home will mark the national holiday. The Colombian of origin believes that the festivities of June 24 are an opportunity to celebrate the “wealth” of Quebec.

“Quebec is very diverse. To recognize the diversity of Quebec culture, it is important [la fête nationale] “, he underlines.

According to him, Quebecers from all walks of life must work together. “There is a lot of diversity, but Quebec is a single society,” he recalls, believing that Aboriginal people should be given greater consideration.

Alejandro began learning French at the Center Pauline-Julien, in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. After nine months, his mastery of the language of Molière is impressive, which makes him very proud. “Now I will be able to find a job, in French. It’s important for me, to fit in. »

Quebec music allows him to learn about the province. Alejandro loves the songs of Paul Piché and Daniel Bélanger, which he listens to regularly.

How will he celebrate the national holiday? “It’s hard to choose, because there are so many things you can do! »

Philémon La Frenière-Premont, The Press

Loving Quebec… even from afar

British Columbia

For 12 years, Jean-François Garrity has been spending the national holiday in British Columbia forest camps, where he plants trees five months a year. For this seasonal worker, June 24 is “an immersion for one evening” in Quebec, which he leaves every summer.

“It’s difficult to live out your Quebec identity in the West, because there isn’t really a Francophone culture here,” explains Jean-François Garrity in an interview. Saint-Jean is a way to remember where we come from. »

For Quebec planters who spend their summers in British Columbia, the national holiday is first and foremost an opportunity to speak their mother tongue. “We take a hit and we speak French, we do it on purpose”, describes the planter.

According to the label, the planters all speak to each other in English so as not to exclude anyone. “Speaking French in a camp full of Anglophones creates cliques, so it’s a little frowned upon. But for Saint-Jean, we spoil ourselves a little bit, ”says Jean-François Garrity.

In general, June 24 is celebrated according to the rules of the art at the forest camp. Jean-François Garrity gives the example of the 2015 celebrations, which he underlined with a dozen other planters. “There were Quebec songs, a fire, and someone with a guitar playing Jean Leloup. It was like in Quebec, basically. »

Fanny Arcand, The Press

Senegal

Pope Gouamlo Dione is from Senegal. He describes Quebec as his second nation. Normal, since he spent 20 years there, studied there at the University of Sherbrooke and got married there. Since he was appointed attaché for educational and cultural affairs by the General Delegation of Quebec in Dakar, in 2020, he has been keen to mobilize the “Quebecois” community, to introduce them to Quebec culture and community life.

“When I received my position as Attaché for Cultural and Educational Affairs, the celebration of Saint John was the second event I organized,” says Pope Goumalo Dione proudly. The diaspora is very important here in Senegal. Quebec means a lot to me. »

But this year it will be different. Socio-political tensions in Senegal prevent Mr. Dione from resuming the great celebration. During this local crisis, he is forced to cancel the event to focus his energies elsewhere.

In recent years, Pope Goumalo Dione has observed a real thirst among Senegalese for the Belle Province during the national holiday. Despite the cancellation of the 2023 edition, he remains hopeful that the event will be able to revive in the coming years.

The National Day of Quebec has been celebrated for years in many countries of French-speaking Africa.

Daniel Birru, The Press

hong kong

Simon Blanchet has lived in Hong Kong for 13 years. In search of landmarks when he arrived in China, he came into contact with other Quebecers who live there. Today, he is the president of the Quebec Hong Kong Association, which organizes annual events to celebrate June 24th.

Quebec expatriates gather each year to celebrate the national holiday in places quite different from the Plains of Abraham. On the menu: pea soup, shepherd’s pie and traditional Quebec music.

Some more affluent people, with spacious accommodations, have already hosted parties that have taken on the appearance of gatherings such as potlucks and hot dogs on the BBQ.

But more often than not, in Hong Kong, the apartments are very small, which means that expats have to find rooms to meet.

Simon Blanchet points out that there is a big difference between Asian and Western lifestyles. “It feels good to be able to cultivate our particularities as a Quebec nation, even here in Hong Kong. »

“Personally, I have a 5-year-old boy, who is mixed, since my wife is from Hong Kong,” says Mr. Blanchet. Physically, there is no difference between him and most people who live here. On the other hand, he speaks French and it is important for me that he is proud of his Quebec origins. »

Naomie Duckett Zamor, The Press

Florida

Diane Ledoux, a Quebecer who has lived in Fort Lauderdale since 2005, considers Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day to be a unique opportunity to celebrate her origins. Almost 20 years after his departure from Quebec, his attachment to La Belle Province remains unchanged. “We are still Quebecers, we cannot deny our roots! »

In an interview, Diane Ledoux explains that it was the Florida climate that prompted her to settle on the other side of the border. “It’s not because I don’t like Quebec that I live in Florida, it’s to enjoy the heat! »

Every year, she takes part in dinners organized for Saint-Jean with her family, friends and other Francophones. “There will be little flags, we will have songs with a Quebec connotation just to remember that we are Quebecers. »

Originally from Sherbrooke, Diane Ledoux is very involved in the French-speaking community in Florida, including the French-language newspaper The Courier of the Americas. She even invites the French present in Fort Lauderdale to celebrate with Quebecers. According to her, Saint-Jean should not be exclusive to Quebecers; she sees it as an opportunity to introduce others to Quebec.

Moreover, this year, the celebrations surrounding the national holiday are taking place for the first time in a French restaurant called Chez Vincent Wine Bar.

Jeremy L’Allier, The Press