16th Annual Terry Fox Run / 16ª Corrida Terry Fox - May 7th / 7 de Maio - Praça das Nações

We all know who Terry Fox was, and most of all, what he represented. After embarking on his cross-Canada Marathon of Hope back in 1980, 143 days and 5 373 kilometres into his journey, Terry was forced to cut short his marathon outside of Thunder Bay, Ont. due to the spread of his cancer that ultimately cost him his life.

Terry's legacy, however, has remained, one that has become recognised worldwide. The marathon Terry could not finish back in 1980, the world now tries to finish for him through the annual Terry Fox Run.

In Portugal, Terry's Marathon of Hope has been honoured for the last decade and a half through the annual Corrida Terry Fox. Organised by the Portuguese League against Cancer in conjunction with the Canadian Embassy in Lisbon, this years 16th annual run takes place Saturday, May 7th at the Praça das Nações. Registration starts at 9:30AM and the run will start at 11:00PM. Registration is 5 euros with all proceeds going towards the financing of oncological and cancer fighting projects. With their registration fees, participants will receive a t-shirt marking the event, as well as an Olá ice cream (yum-yum). Participants will also have a choice of distances, either 1.5 kilometres or 5 kilometres. In sum, through its previous Corridas Terry Fox in Lisbon, 520 000 euros has been raised in honour of Terry's fight against cancer.

CanadiansinPortugal.com thus urges everyone to come out on the morning of the 7th of May to Praça das Naçoes for what will be a fun and healthy event, and to honour Terry and keep his dream alive as well. Hope to see you there.

Happy Easter and a little something more...

This year here in Portugal the Easter long weekend is a little longer then usual due to the fact that the 25th of April holiday is right after Easter Sunday (the 24th). Of course in Canada a 4-day Easter break is an annual happening, as proceeding Easter Sunday is Easter Monday, which is a holiday as well. Although Easter Monday is common throughout much of the English Commonwealth, in the Canadian case, the tradition of having a holiday after Easter Sunday is, in fact, connected to immigrants from Eastern European countries, namely Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Ukraine, where traditions connected to Easter Monday are adundant. Now-a-days, however, Easter Monday serves newer traditions, ones that frequently includes sitting around eating chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies, this often after a bustling Easter egg hunt Sunday.

Speaking of Easter eggs, nowhere on earth is this symbol of Easter more evident then in the town of Vegreville, Alberta, just east of Edmonton, as it's in this community where the worlds largest Easter egg sits. Constructed in 1975, the Ukrainian 'Pysanka' (Easter egg) was constructed to honour the early Ukrainian settlers in this part of Alberta. Today it sits as an all-year-round symbol of re-birth, the exact intent of what the Easter egg is suppose to represent - a symbol of resurrection, containing a 'new life' within its shell.

The Pysanka of Vegreville, Alta.

Now if within these shells is solid chocolate or some sort of creamy filling, this will definitely brings new life upon us, am I right? HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE! Have a chocolate or two on us.