Of Swans & Bunnies

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Here in Calgary, spring has almost sprung. A few days of sunshine, and then mornings of frost seem to rotate these days. Last week, there were lots of holidays, but not particularly unique to Canada. There was the Jewish holiday of Passover, the Christian holiday of Easter, and the Muslim holiday of Ramadan is still ongoing. 

I was trying to reflect on how Canada might do these events in a uniquely Canadian way, and I found the Bunny Bonspiel! Located just an hour away from me in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Easter long weekend has been marked by a Curling tournament since the early 1900s. 

Wait, what is curling?


Curling is a really fun sport (if you have good balance on pebbled ice!) in which stones or curling rocks are slid on ice towards a bullseye. To help the rock reach its goal, teammates sweep with brooms to reduce friction. Although curling is played around the world, Canadians play curling more than anyone else, and even made a Canadian comedy movie about our love for this sport. 

In Alberta, Easter weekend is not usually characterized by green pastures, mild weather, or flowers. It's still very much icy out. So the people in Crowsnest Pass have embraced this with a winter sport themed weekend. When people get together to play curling, this event is called a bonspiel.

According to their website (https://crowsnestcurlingclub.weebly.com/the-bunny-bonspiel.html), bonspiels have been happening since the 1910s, but were improved through an indoor ice plant bulit in 1946. With reliable indoor ice surfaces, the Bunny Bonspiel has become an tradition that has lasted over 75 years in Crowsnest Pass. 

Here's a photo from their website:

Looks like fun to me! I might try my hand at curling in the next year and see how I do. 

But for those that are not interested in winter time sports in April, luckily Eastern Canada has warmer weather. Fellow Canadian Sarah Bruer recently attended the Stratford Swan Parade, in which marching bands and pipers release the City of Stratford's swans back to the lake. The swans appear to love it, and march along with the band on the parade route! Here's a photo that Sarah is letting me post: 

Definitely some new things for on my bucket list!

Location: Crowsnest Pass, AB T0K, Canada

Comments

  1. Laura SteelApril 17, 2023 at 8:35 AM

    I've always been a bit baffled by curling, but this looks fun!

    ReplyDelete

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