Tamil Heritage Month

Tamils began migrating to Ontario as early as the 1940s. Many Tamil Canadians from Sri Lanka classify themselves as Tamil rather than Sri Lankan. Since that time, Tamil Canadians have overcome tremendous obstacles and have made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of Ontario. January is an important month for Tamil Canadians.  The Tamil Harvest Festival, Thai Pongal, as well as other Tamil artistic and cultural events, take place in January.

By proclaiming the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month, the Province of Ontario recognizes the valuable contributions that Tamil Canadians have made to Ontario’s social, economic, political and cultural fabric. Tamil Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the inspirational role that Tamil Canadians have played and continue to play in communities across Ontario.

Tamil Heritage Month takes place every January and has been recognized by the province of Ontario since March 2014 when the Tamil Heritage Month Act was passed.

Black July

Ontario has one of the largest concentrations of Tamils outside of Southeast Asia. As of 2016, 80% of Tamils reside in the Greater Toronto Area. In 1948, Sri Lanka gained its independence from Britain as the Dominion of Ceylon. It kept its Dominion Status within the British Commonwealth until becoming the Republic of Sri Lanka on May 22, 1972. During those times, many Tamils would experience discrimination. This would lead to the anti-Tamil pogrom of July 24, 1983, known as Black July.

On May 12, 2021, Bill 104 was enacted as Chapter 11 of the Statutes of Ontario. This Bill proclaims the seven-day period in each year ending on May 18 as Tamil Genocide Education Week. It encourages Ontarians to educate themselves about, and to maintain their awareness of the Tamil genocide and other genocides that have occurred in world history.

Tongal Pongal

Thai Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in Mississauga and in communities throughout the world. It is observed at the start of the month Tai according to Tamil solar calendar and this is typically about January 14. The festival is named after the ceremonial “Pongal”, which means “to boil, overflow” and refers to the traditional dish prepared from the new harvest of rice boiled in milk with jaggery (raw sugar) and symbolizes abundance and prosperity.

This marks an important occasion in the calendar year for Tamil, since it’s an opportunity to give thanks to nature for providing bountiful harvests, while at the same time acknowledging the promise and hope of new beginnings.

Stories of Sri Lankan and Tamil Canadians

Over the last couple of years we have been interviewing immigrants from other countries who now call Mississauga home. This project started with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and below are articles from individuals of Sri Lankan and Tamil heritage.