High above the treelines in Northern Canada, the holiday season has begun with feasts, music, races and games. December is dark in most communities this time of year but light shines bright through events and old traditions. Games are often passed down by elders to teach strength and endurance, agility, survival skills while having fun and being social.

Rankin Inlet

“We have lots of great country food and feasts but we still love eating turkey,” AJ Curley said.

Curley is the Recreation Coordinator in Rankin Inlet. His community has a full schedule of activities running through the holiday season. Games and races for kids, elder’s feasts and dances for all ages.

The community hosts a toy drive for kids up to age 12, a charity ball and an old-timers hockey tournament. The goal is to give back to those who need it and to help those struggling during the holidays.

“People look forward to the event schedule every year,” Curley said. “It brings people together.”

Rankin likes to celebrate with feasts. Country food is abundant at this time of year, with char, beluga and caribou on offer along with bannock, stew and lots of desserts. The hamlet has a feast for elders, children and the community.

Resolute Bay

Amy Salluviniq is the Recreation Director in Resolute Bay. She’s responsible for filling their hamlet’s schedule from the time students are done school until the new year. They do a combination of Christmas activities and Northern Games to help celebrate the season.

“People decorate in front of their houses and at the community center,” Salluviniq said. “This is mostly a time for families to come together.”

Their weeks are full of fun, music and food. Kids love musical chairs, Hammer Race and Penny in a Cup, where young and old alike try to carry a coin between their legs until they drop it in a cup. Northern Games are a true Inuk tradition with Ear Pull, One Foot High Jump and Knee Jump to name a few. Snowmobile racing is also at the heart of festivities this time of year.

The games have a special meaning to most. They encourage building strength and endurance to handle long walks and hunts with family. They promote agility and survival skills to teach young hunters how to move slow and surprise their prey. They also want young people to learn to be social, enjoy a good quality of life and to have fun.

Iqaluit

“It’s less about Christmas traditions,” Salluviniq said. “It’s a good social time for people.”

Victoria Coman is the Special Events Programmer for the City of Iqaluit. She grew up in the city and has seen many different Christmas events throughout the years. She now handles the planning and calendars for the city.

“My family used to make Inukshuks at Christmas using Tupperware,” she said. “We’d fill them up and freeze them and make the arms, body and head.”

The Inukshuks have a very special meaning to Northern residents. They symbolize everything from safety to gravesites, where to fish and marking good areas for shelter.

The arms are usually pointing toward an area where people have used the land before and the arch and peep holes in the structure can be used to show direction or a safe place to spend the night.

Coman is excited to see residents enjoying the Christmas season. The winter is long and this time of year the ice is freezing again and wildlife head north. It’s a good time for family and friends to come together and share the bounties of the hunting and fishing season.

The Iqaluit Santa Claus Parade is another way for residents and businesses to come together. Locals decorate floats and cars with handmade decorations. This brings everyone together for some good old fashioned competition and there’s even cash prizes for the most original and best decorated display. The parade attracts large crowds and Santa even does a meet and greet for kids of all ages.

At the local sliding hill, hot chocolate, light displays and decorations offer some leisure. People gather and enjoy the outdoors, as the days continue to get shorter. The new year brings longer days, colder nights and time for Iqaluit residents to cook and enjoy time together.

An online cookie contest gets people in the spirit each year. Competition between families makes for fun, delicious treats. The cookies are shared among neighbors and is a great way to meet those around you. The snacks are also given away as a part of a larger toy drive. Locals distribute cookies and toys as a means of spreading joy to everyone.

Events happen all December long but most look forward to the last week of the month, where Christmas and Inuit Games are played. There’s drum dancing, dice competitions, music and of course, lots of food. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. Some sit and eat, watch the performances and talk about the past year. Others play Bingo and prepare food hampers for anyone who needs them.

The lights of the city contest is also an exciting event for the whole area. Houses are decorated and a group of elders travel by bus to judge the best displays. There’s also a free flight to Ottawa given away to the winner each year. This gives everyone a chance to celebrate Inuit and Christian traditions.

“There’s always a good mix up here,” Cowan said. “We try to celebrate the old and the new.”

The Christmas season is a bit of an inbetween time for hunters and fishers. It’s a good time to share, come together and enjoy family, friends and community. It’s also a time to look ahead. With feasts and traditional games, Christmas is less about holidays and more about celebrating Inuit culture..

December can be the end of one season and the beginning of a new one, as the last of summer and fall come to an end. Those who rely on the land for their living or simply for food and resources, take stock of what needs to be done in the winter months, looking forward to light and warmer weather ahead.

Gjoa Haven

Amanda Tavalok works in recreation with the hamlet. She has a full schedule of events planned for people of all ages. The community hall has feasts and music, activities and games, they even provide food boxes for anyone who needs one. There’s also lots of sports being played this time of year, like hockey and indoor soccer.

Local feasts include traditional Christmas foods like turkey and potatoes but also include ham, fish and caribou. Everyone bakes this time of year and there’s always lots of homemade cookies, pies, bannock and assorted desserts.

“We have lots of prizes this time of year, for best lights, decorations and even cookies,” Tavalok said.

The highlight of the season in Gjoa Haven is the annual New Year’s Eve parade through the community. Cars and trucks line the streets, led by local firefighters and police. Residents decorate the vehicles and take pride in the event. The highlight for most happens after midnight, when snowmobilers line up, with their lights on representing families living and gone.

“The snowmobile parade has been going on as long as anyone can remember,” Tavalok said.

Residents line the sides of the road, wave and count the lights as they go past. Every year, more and more people get involved and they try to make it bigger and better. The sound of buzzing can be heard all over the community and last year there were over 100 sleds taking part. Younger people talk about the machines while older folks tell stories of parades gone by, those who are still here and those who are missed.

In many other communities across Nunavut, artists and crafts people gather to show off and sell their handmade and cultural clothing, mitts, hats and jackets. They gather in libraries and community halls showing their learned experience passed down from generation to generation.

New artists learn from elders and they encourage each other to continue making and expressing themselves through the style, stories and traditions of their area. New Canadians are also getting involved bringing with them stories, food and traditions from their homelands and culture. They sit side by side with elders and share stories with long, rich and different traditions.

The blending of the old and the new is helping locals and newcomers alike enjoy the long winter months. New ideas and old traditions are coming together to create new festivities, new families and they continue to build on what has been done. No matter where you are this holiday season, look around, hug your people and enjoy the food, music and company. North or South, the season is here and we only get a few weeks to decorate, celebrate and enjoy time together.