What
is the importance of being Italian? Italians have been
in Windsor for more than a hundred years. The majority of the
Italian immigration in Canada, especially in Windsor,
took place after the War. When Italians came to this whole new country,
they tried to keep and preserve the customs, traditions, and
lifestyle lived for generations, but they also tried to adjust
to this new life. As
time passed the subsequent generations started to be more Canadian
than Italian. The disappearance of all that valuable part of
the Italian
heritage
is at risk. Learning more about Italian social-cultural and spiritual
life will help in the rediscovery of the language and the traditions.
Italians have a definite imprint in the fabric of Canadian society.
Italians have created a home away from home called “Little
Italy”,
opened shops, churches, clubs and their famous restaurants.
Many Italians still speak their mother tongue at home. They
have their
Italian language media-radio, print and television which has
played
an important role within the community. They have helped maintain
the Italian language and culture while keeping listeners, readers
and
viewers up-to-date on news and events within the Italian community
in Canada, Italy and the world.
The threat of assimiliation is real for Italian-Canadians. Subsequent
generations tend to speak and understand less Italian; they
tend to know more about Canada than Italy. Also, the Italians have
a higher
rate
of
marrying
outside
their ethnic
community
than others in the Canadian multicultural society. To prevent the
Italian
culture from dying, many clubs, associations and societies
have been formed.
In the meantime, Italians have added their talents to the Canadian
culture. They represent their Italian origins in writing, painting,
music, acting, photography, etc. Also, Italian-Canadians are well
represented in sports,
business, and politics.
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