FIVE SHAMELESS THINGS TO DO

BY ALEX POSPISIL

We’re living in a time when hugging grandpa could spell disaster. So, what are some safer ways you can connect with your family?

1. Food

There’s something about food that brings people and cultures together. When it comes to your family history, though, recipes handed down from generation to generation are a great way to connect with your roots. Even if they aren’t hand-me-downs, and you just look up regional or traditional recipes to make, it can still be a fun way to explore your history.

I love making Czech vanilkové rohlíčky and linecké koláčky cookies at Christmas, but have also made doubles, an iconic staple of Trinidadian cuisine. If you’re not a fan of cooking or baking, you can find traditional treats in a restaurant or shop!

2. Research

The cool thing about the past is that even if the country of your ancestors is completely different today, you can still engage with and learn about cultural practices and traditions through research. The one thing all people inherit is history. While research can be tedious, and depending on your background, the difficulty will vary, tracing your own roots can be an excellent and eye-opening endeavour! There are many ways to go about research, from archives, books, ancestry and DNA platforms to simply asking around! Another great way to research is through reading articles or books about the cultures you’re linked to. I highly recommend checking out fiction and poetry by others who share your ancestry and have written about it. Fiction reflects reality, and can be much easier to relate to than historical texts.

With archives, you never know! My dad found a short film online about “domestic scenes” of Czech soldiers in England and spotted his father within a few minutes. We are also very lucky to have our own digitized family photographs and films, which we’ve spent some time together watching. 3. Fashion

Like food, fashion is intertwined with culture. Take pride and don’t be afraid to mix your wardrobe up with some traditional pieces. If you’re lucky, older family members might have clothes or accessories you can wear. If not, try to find those special items online, or find patterns and make them yourself! Make a bold statement with a modern hanbok or sari. Be mindful, however, that certain clothing can be historical or religious, and is not considered everyday wear. You usually can’t go wrong with accessories, so in that case it’d be a great idea to seek out artists who specialize in your culture’s styles.

4. Community Activities

Get involved! See if there are cultural clubs or historical societies in your area; you can learn a lot, and feel more in touch with your heritage. It’s a great way to meet people with similar backgrounds or experiences and engage with your own history. The country of your ancestors is likely not the same place as it is now, but its history remains, and we can learn from that. Another way to get involved is to support working members of your community. Check out that Hungarian restaurant, buy some Cree beadwork, go to the Danish bakery! 5. Sharing

Most importantly, you can do all the above with family. When I was a kid, I baked with my aunt, and it was my love of baking that eventually led me to try making traditional cookies and cakes as an adult. As much as I wish I could have learned from my grandmother, I still have her handwritten recipes in a binder, which I treasure. In fact, I’ve been meaning to ask my mom how to make curry. I hope that one of these days I can get to it.

Above all else, even if you can’t visit the elders in your family, you can still write a letter, email them or give them a call! Let them regale you with tales of their youth or homelands. Take notes, or better yet, ask if you can record these conversations. Our time is precious, and we can only benefit from spending it connecting to our family lineage and history.