I celebrated Thanksgiving in a new way this year. Our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend coincided with Dashain, one of the major festivals on the Nepali calendar. Such a coincidence worked out well for the Bhutanese-Nepali community of Toronto, as they had days off during which they could celebrate. It worked out well for me, as I was invited to be a part of the festivities. A friend from Nepal, San Bahadur, invited me to celebrate with him and his extended family.

            It was explained to me at the celebration that Dashain is a time when families try to get together, as much as possible. Children will come from afar to be with their parents. (Sounds like our Thanksgiving, or even more so American Thanksgiving.) It is a time when children receive blessings from their parents. I was there on the Sunday; Monday was the day that family members were to receive tika (a powder often put on the forehead) and a blessing from their elders.

            We celebrated by eating, dancing, and visiting. I chatted with San Bahadur's bhauju (elder brother's wife) and others. Some of the young women wore beautiful dresses called ghagra choli. There were some well-rehearsed dance numbers. We played a variety of music, from Nepali folk songs to the Vengaboys.

            Now, while it worked out well here in Canada this year, with the Thanksgiving weekend facilitating the Dashain festivities, in the States there were no such holidays. I talked to one Bhutanese friend in Chicago, who said that some of his brothers were working on these auspicious days. And not all families are able to get together. Within San Bahadur's family, two brothers were not here this year. One is still in Nepal, the other is in Texas. The process of resettling the Bhutanese refugees of Nepal has at times separated families in this way.

            As for me, it was a delight this year to celebrate Thanksgiving both in the traditional way and in a new way, with the Bhutanese-Nepali community. After the evening spent with San Bahadur and family, I reflected that I am thankful for these friends from Nepal: for their joy, their hospitality, their care for each other. I am thankful because their love of life is contagious, inspiring me to love more deeply and more openly.