Asian Heritage Month
Asian Heritage Month
The City of Calgary proudly acknowledges the significant role Asian communities play in enriching our cultural diversity and vibrancy. With roots spanning across East Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, these communities contribute immensely to the city's dynamic cultural tapestry.
We are dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich heritage and contributions of Asian communities. Through various initiatives and programs, The City actively engages with these communities to promote inclusivity and celebrate their invaluable impact on Calgary.
Why is recognizing Asian Heritage Month important?
Asian Heritage Month has been officially recognized in Canada since 2002. This month-long celebration honours the rich cultural heritage brought by immigrants from all parts of Asia over the past two centuries. These communities have significantly influenced various aspects of Canadian life, including the arts, sciences, sports, business, and government.
While we highlight the accomplishments and contributions of Asian Calgarians during this month, it’s also important to acknowledge that racism against Asian Canadians has seen a troubling increase in recent years. According to Statistics Canada, from 2022 to 2023, hate crimes reported by Arab and West Asian populations increased 52 per cent and among the South Asian population it rose 35 per cent. In fact, hate crimes targeting the South Asian population rose 227 per cent from 2019 to 2023.
The City of Calgary is committed to actively dismantling systemic racism that affects the lives of Indigenous, Black and diverse Racialized Peoples. Visit Calgary's Commitment to Anti-Racism for more information.
Commemorating the end of the Vietnam War
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, a pivotal event that led to approximately 60,000 Vietnamese refugees finding new homes and opportunities in Canada. The Journey to Freedom Park honours the thousands of Vietnamese refugees who fled after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and arrived in Canada. The vast majority of Vietnamese refugees, including children, fled the country by boat, many lost their lives as they fled for freedom.
Events
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Harmony Guzheng Concert "Strings of Heritage"
May 17 - 6:30 - 9 p.m.An unforgettable evening of traditional Chinese music blended with contemporary compositions. This concert showcases the timeless beauty of the Guzheng, a 21-string zither with over 2,500 years of history.
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Hong Kong Journey of Time - Bun Festival & Parade
May 17 - 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.The Bun Festival itself is a vibrant celebration deeply rooted in Taoist traditions, featuring a towering 16-foot Bun Mountain built from real buns, which are later distributed to the elderly on May 18. These buns are believed to bring good luck, peace, and safety.
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Kathak Dance by Durgesh Gangani
May 24 - 6 - 9 p.m.Durgesh Gangani hails from a legendary lineage of Kathak dance. In addition to his show, he will also offer workshops and a baithak (like a fireside chat) for anyone who wants to learn more about his story and the incredible North Indian dance form he’s the torchbearer of.
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Kimono Fair
May 25 - 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.Learn about Japanese culture while wearing a beautiful kimono. A fun event for all ages. We will have kimono rentals, kimono dressing, photo booth, vendor stores, games, foods and more to make your cultural experience a blast.
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Connections Café: Asian Canadian Youth Action
May 10 - 5 - 7 p.m.This will be a time for youth to come together and network while making connections.
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Parampara by Pt. Ronu Majumdar and Hrishikesh Majumdar
May 31 - 6 - 9:30 p.m.On their first Canadian tour together, Padma Shri and Guinness World Record holder, Pt. Ronu Majumdar is bringing the soulful sounds of the flute along with his son, Hrishikesh Majumdar, one this unique father-son tour.
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Vietnamese Canadian Legacy: 50 years of Growth and Achievements
June 1 - 2 - 6 p.m.To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, the Calgary Vietnamese Community Association (CVCA) is hosting a public gala to highlight the history of Vietnamese Canadians in Calgary, celebrate the achievements of community leaders, and honour those who have supported Vietnamese settlement, integration, and inclusion.
Resources
Movies
Movies
Becoming Labrador
In the stark Labrador interior, a growing number of Filipino workers have recently landed in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, travelling halfway around the world for jobs they hope will offer their families new opportunities and a better life. Becoming Labrador follows a handful of those women and men as they make a place for themselves in Labrador while dealing with the unexpected costs of living far from their family.
The Chinese-Canadian Experience (Ages 15-17)
A playlist of different films that explore the Chinese-Canadian experience. Chinese-Canadians, have had to navigate various levels of politicized racism, emotional turmoil and financial hardship in their adopted country. What emerges from each of these films and the stories they tell is the dignity, good humour and resourcefulness of their subjects.
Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story by Jari Osborne
This feature-length documentary tells the story of the Asahi baseball team. In pre-World War II Vancouver, the team was unbeatable, winning the Pacific Northwest Championship for five straight years. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, all persons of Japanese descent in Canada were sent to internment camps. The former Asahi members survived by playing ball. Their passion was contagious and soon other players joined in, among them RCMP officials and local townspeople. As a result, the games helped break down racial and cultural barriers.
Between: Living in the Hyphen
Anne Marie Nakagawa's documentary examines what it means to have a background of mixed ancestries that cannot be easily categorized. By focusing on 7 Canadians who have one parent from a European background and one of a visible minority, she attempts to get at the root of what it means to be multi-ethnic in a world that wants each person to fit into a single category.
A Passage Beyond Fortune
Through an intimate archive of the Chow’s family lineage, A Passage Beyond Fortune offers an homage to the culturally significant but buried history of Chinese-Canadian communities in Moose Jaw.
Ru
Based on the Governor General's Award-winning novel by Kim Thúy, Ru is the story of the arduous journey of a wealthy family fleeing from Vietnam, before landing in Quebec.
Boat People
A sharply etched personal story, exquisite in its specificity, Boat People resonates with universal themes, speaking across time and culture to anyone who’s ever fought to protect the people they love.
Flowing Home
Uncover the story of two sisters forcibly separated during the Vietnam War.
Books
Books
Changing on the Fly: Hockey through the voices of South
Author: Courtney Szto
Being Chinese in Canada: The Struggle for Identity, Redress and Belonging
Author: William Ging Wee Dere
Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Café and Other Stories
Author: Ann Hui
Running on Empty: Canada and the Indochinese Refugees, 1975-1980
Authors: Michael J. Molloy, Peter Duschinsky, Kurt F. Jensen and Robert Shalka
The Doll
Author: Nhung N. Tran-Davies
Found: Tales of Chinese Canadian Settlers
Written and illustrated by Junyi Bu and Jane Xu
Calgary Public Library Asian Heritage month book recommendations
Celebrate Asian Heritage Month with these thought-provoking and adventure-filled titles for grades 4 – 6 students.
Videos
Videos
I hid my Afghan identity for years
Heritage Minutes: Norman Kwong
Heritage Minutes: "Boat People" Refugees
Japanese-Canadian Internment
Celebrate Canada's Asian Heritage - Asian Heritage Month
Remembering the journey to Canada of Vietnamese refugees - Asian Heritage Month
Culture in Chinatown
Calgary’s Chinatown is a unique neighbourhood with a meaningful culture for its residents and all Calgarians.
The Chinatown Program is an ongoing effort to bring the community’s vision for Chinatown to life, keeping it a vibrant, culturally rich place to live, work and visit. It’s part of Tomorrow’s Chinatown, an initiative that includes the Chinatown Cultural Plan – a community-driven plan for celebrating and investing in Chinatown’s cultural future. The Chinatown Program turns this plan into action by supporting projects, programs and partnerships that honour Chinatown’s heritage while helping it grow.
The History of Asian People in Calgary
Asian Canadians have been integral to Canada's social, political, and economic landscape for over 200 years. In Alberta, particularly Calgary, the earliest arrivals of Asian descent were people of Chinese, Japanese, and Sikh heritage. These pioneers established communities and legacies that future immigrants from various Asian countries have joined, benefitted from, and continue to build upon.
These early communities of Asian Calgarians and Albertans faced harsh racial discrimination, including immigration restrictions. It wasn’t until 1967, when immigration restrictions based on race and country of origin were eliminated, that significant populations of immigrants from various Asian countries were able to establish communities in Canada and Calgary.
Throughout over 200 years of Asian immigration and refugee settlement in Canada, Asian Canadians have continually enriched the country's vibrance.
Chinese Canadians
The Asian presence in Calgary dates back to 1883, with the arrival of Chinese residents from British Columbia who had worked on the newly completed Canadian Pacific Railway. Unable to return to China after the Canadian Government withdrew its promise to pay their return fare home, 50 residents established the first Chinatown on the east side of 8th Avenue. From its founding in 1885, Chinatown has been in three different locations in Calgary. Displacement and racial discrimination forced the community to move as they struggled to set down roots. Calgary has the dubious distinction of being home to one of Alberta’s worst episodes of anti-Chinese hostility, the 1892 Smallpox Riot.
Japanese Canadians
Japanese Canadians began migrating from British Columbia to Alberta in the early 1900s as labourers in industries such as mining, railway construction, and sugar beet farming. Due to racial discrimination, many were prohibited from living in cities and instead settled in Raymond, Alberta, about 30 minutes south of Lethbridge. In 1922, the first Japanese store in Alberta was opened by two Japanese people at 119 - 8 Ave SW, Calgary.
Sources
Sikh Canadians
The history of Sikhs in Calgary dates back to 1908, with their presence in the province dating back to 1903 when Sikhs began migrating to Crowsnest Pass. Early Sikhs worked as miners, lumber workers, and farmers. While much is still being uncovered about Sikh history in Alberta and Calgary through the Southern Alberta Sikh Project, it is remarkable to note that members of one Sikh Calgarian family have become sixth-generation Calgarians, highlighting the ways Sikhs have helped build Alberta.
Sources
Celebrating diverse cultures
Asian Heritage Month is part of Calgary’s broader commitment to celebrating diverse cultures and supporting a thriving arts community. Explore these resources to learn more about how The City fosters creativity and cultural connection year-round:
- Arts and Culture in Calgary – Discover how Calgary supports and celebrates the arts through public art, events and cultural programs.
- Cultural Plan for Calgary – This 10-year action plan guides the city’s approach to arts, heritage and cultural resources, ensuring a thriving and inclusive cultural landscape.
- Calgary’s Culture Days – Culture Days takes place every September 1 – 30 and is a celebration of arts, culture, heritage, diversity and community spirit.
