Community Celebrations
Scadding Court Community Centre celebrates many community events and festivals every year including; Black History Month, Pride Month, Lunar New Year, International Women’s Day, South Asian Heritage Month, Ramadan, Diwali, Halloween, Eid-Al-Adha and Christmas.
Ramadan Celebration
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. A foundational pillar of practicing Islam is fasting during the month of Ramadan. This devotional act is observed by over a billion Muslims worldwide today. During this time, Muslims cannot drink (even water), eat, smoke, or be sexually intimate, between the hours of sunrise to sunset every day – out of devotion to God. Fasting has both physical and spiritual benefits, including purifying the soul, inspiring self-reflection, and increasing empathy and good works.
Why is Ramadan celebrated?
God says in the Qur’an,
“Ramadan is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, as guidance for humanity…so whoever of you witnesses the month should fast it.” [2:185]
Muslims therefore celebrate Ramadan by ritually fasting for the entire month in gratitude to God for His final revelation. By restricting the body’s appetites during daylight hours, believers rejuvenate their spirituality, repair their religious conscience, and cultivate their devotion to God. This is the most significant objective of the fast: restoring the centrality of God in our lives.
Ramadan is a period of practicing extra awareness about all the things that could soil our spirituality and fuel the ego that feeds off our catering to its appetites throughout the year. Vices are always forbidden, but we work with even greater dedication to avoid them and excel in devotion, kindness, patience, and forgiveness in Ramadan. By treating Ramadan as the training grounds for the soul, intensely focusing on our day to day actions, practicing self awareness, and being good to others, we hope that these habits continue beyond the month. Such inner purity is the intended result of fasting.
How do you observe Ramadan?
Muslims observe Ramadan by abstaining from food, drink, smoking, and sexual intimacy—all out of devotion to their Creator. They are also called to practice self-restraint and respond to every situation with patience and kindness. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ informed us,
“Whoever does not give up lying and acting dishonestly, then [know that] God has no need for this person to give up food and drink (i.e., fasting).” [Sahih al-Bukhari #1903]
In addition to fasting, Muslims also celebrate Ramadan by reciting and studying the Qur’an, performing acts of service, and giving to charity.
SCCC celebrates Ramadan and Iftar every year as a part of our community celebration. We would like to wish a Ramadan Mubarak to members of our community who observe this holy month! We hope these 30 days of fasting bring you joy and renewed faith.
Diwali Celebration
Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights”, is one of the most important Hindu celebrations of the year. It celebrates the victory of good over evil, and the uplifting of spiritual darkness.
At Scadding Court we celebrate this festival by gathering together, with presentations, music and delicious food.
Lunar/Chinese New Year
Scadding Court celebrates Lunar/Chinese New Year every year as a part our community celebrations. The first day of the Lunar New Year is the first new moon of the first day of the year in the traditional Chinese calendar. In this calendar, months are based on lunar cycles and Chinese New Year usually falls between January 21 and February 21.
Lunar New year celebration at Scadding Court Video – credit Codetski Jaigobin
Black History Month Celebration
SCCC recognizes that every day is a day to celebrate Black communities. We start in February with #BlackHistoryMonth, and continue throughout the year to raise awareness and celebrate Black community achievements every day as part of our heritage, our current society, and the future of our country.
In 2023, Scadding Court has planned various activities to celebrate Black History.
Pride Month Celebration
To honour Pride month and history, as well as the long fight for 2SLGBTQ+ rights, Scadding Court Community Centre is committed to address the challenges of 2SLGBTQ and celebrates Pride Month with various programs and activities.
Pride is more than just a celebration. Scadding Court stands alongside our 2SLGBTQ+ community to proudly reflect on the enormous strides they have made in securing equal rights, while also noting how far they still must go.
Scadding Court is a strong defender of human rights of 2SLGBTQ+ persons globally. Equality and non-discrimination are part of our core values, as emphasized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Our organization is proud to work with and support 2SLGBTQ+ community members, colleagues and partners. Together, we are working with respect and integrity to be allies to people from all backgrounds and communities, so our organization and conservation efforts can be more inclusive of all.
To learn more about what you can do, and activities you can join, here are some organizations doing great work:
- https://www.the519.org/
- https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/
- https://caseyhouse.ca/
- https://www.torontopflag.org/
- https://prideatwork.ca/
- https://torontoqueerfilmfest.com/
Scadding Court’s activities to celebrate Pride Month 2023:
- Pride flag raised at the centre and will remain until the end of June, 2023
- Decorating the lobby and the Centre with Pride theme
- Glitterbug Program: Wednesday, June 14, 10-12:30pm
- Free Movie Night: Animated Shorts Celebrating 2SLGBTQ+
Thursday, June 29th, 6:30pm – 7:30pm - TV shows in the lobby screen featuring 2SLGBTQ+
- Children’s artworks
- 2SLGBTQ+ education and awareness discussions and workshops
- And more…..
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Ramadan Celebration Community
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Diwali Celebration Community
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Lunar/Chinese New Year Community
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Black History Month Celebration Community
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Pride Month Celebration Community
Get in Touch.
We welcome feedback on making our services more accessible. Please send suggestions by email, phone, or visit the reception desk. Our building has ramps, an elevator, allows service animals and welcomes support persons.
Address
707 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 2W6
Phone
(416)-392-0335
scccinfo@scaddingcourt.org
Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: CLOSED