Desi Dialogues

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As one of the thousands of shoppers who pack malls to do their holiday shopping, I was struck by one store in particular - The Bay - because in one of its Toronto locations, it devotes an entire section to South Asian clothing.

And this one, in particular, seemed to cater to the Christmas season, which is being increasingly celebrated in the South Asian community. The section had a range of fancy salvar kameez, traditional Indian woman's clothing, as well as accessories including shiny purses and dazzling Indian jewelry. Having launched in time for the holiday season, it will be interesting to see what kind of sales this endeavour accomplishes.

I believe the store's Indian clothing line is just an extension of the retailer's thrust to cater and respond to the growing number of the South Asians in Toronto; earlier this year, I saw gift cards in a couple of Indian languages being sold at many such outlets.

While many South Asians may not celebrate Christmas in the traditional style, such as putting up the Christmas tree, Christmas has a special place in the community primarily because its officially "party time".

So you'll find South Asians here and in India spending lots of money either shopping and or attending functions within their communities to celebrate Christmas and the upcoming new year.

And almost every significant South Asian organization in Toronto will have some kind of Christmas party, not to mention a big New Year's Eve's bash. The best part about it is that the tickets aren't expensive and the whole family can get through these functions without spending a bundle.

As for the many South Asian orchestras or bands in Toronto, whose many members were full-time professional players back home, these months bring back memories of a time when they didn't have a moment to spare as they played to audiences in India.

Many of these professional players don't want to lose their touch or their passion and continue to play in some form or the other on a part-time basis here. And many will say the Christmas season is one of their best; nostalgia reigns in these parties as people who used to dance to the tunes back in India seek these bands to enjoy the music here as well.

What's interesting is that the parties during Christmas here, as in India, cut across religious lines.

For example, it isn't just a Catholic or Christian festival; every South Asian community I know celebrates Christmas in some way. Even in schools in India, Christmas is celebrated with lots of pomp and glamour. Children make greeting cards, have their Christmas parties and even wonder what it is to actually touch snow. I remember, as a child, I used to put white cotton wool on the artwork to signify the snow and always wondered how it would feel to make a snowman and to touch real snow. Now I know.

The month of December in India also kicks off the official marriage season. Because the weather is so beautiful - almost 20 C - it's an ideal time of the year to get married outside.

In fact, if you visited any traditional getaway locations, they'll be full of honeymooners. Many Hindu marriages, which are long and often tedious in terms of the rituals, are done in December when it's a little cooler so the bride and the groom don't have to sweat under their traditional heavy Indian attire.

And of course, the best part of December and Christmas is that you can eat all kinds of goodies, attend so many parties and scores of marriages. Anyone who has attended an Indian marriage will tell you that once you eat out there you definitely need Pepto Bismol to digest all those heavy goodies. But it doesn't stop you. You just take it and then go for the next big wedding, which is just around the corner.