The Romanian community gathered together to celebrate their rich and colourful traditions at Toronto’s Mel Lastman Square on Sept. 8.
Romanians from across Toronto and Ontario, as well as people of different backgrounds and nationalities, came to enjoy the song and dance and partake in the food delicacies.
Although the day began with rain, it turned into a beautiful day of celebration, said Reverend Father Ioan Bunea, the organizer of the festival.
“It’s a beautiful joyful day. The purpose of this festival is to bring joy to the hearts of the participants,” said Bunea.
“First of all, it’s the joy of spending time together.” [It’s] a day of thanksgiving, of learning and of course, of remembering the Romanian traditions, history, and culture.”
Bunea noted that while Romanians in Canada are Canadians first and foremost, celebrating their own culture and traditions is important to them.
“We can’t say [our traditions] are more precious or important, but it’s who we are. The traditions and the nation we come from represent the reality of our existence. They’re not more important or more precious than others, but they’re what we call ours,” he said.
“The wonder of Canadian society consists in the freedom of each ethnic group to express itself and to be part of Canadian society, creating in fact precisely what Canada is, a multi-ethnic and multicultural country,” said Bunea, adding that he believes all ethnic traditions are beautiful.
This is the ninth year that Bunea has organized this festival, and the joy that he sees in the hearts of the participants gives him encouragement to continue it next year, he said.
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