{"id":24,"date":"2015-01-28T21:02:44","date_gmt":"2015-01-28T21:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/abealfreader3\/?post_type=chapter&p=24"},"modified":"2022-07-22T20:04:19","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T20:04:19","slug":"all-together-now-bc-festivals","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/abealfreader3\/chapter\/all-together-now-bc-festivals\/","title":{"raw":"All Together Now: BC Festivals","rendered":"All Together Now: BC Festivals"},"content":{"raw":"

Click play on the following audio player to listen along as you read this section.<\/p>\r\nhttps:\/\/media.bccampus.ca\/id\/0_lyg6cd4o?width=608&height=70&playerId=23449753\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_82\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"550\"]\".\"<\/a> Vancouver Island[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn places across British Columbia, people come together for festivals that celebrate<\/span> the things that make their hometown special.\r\n\r\nEvery year, about 20,000 grey whales swim past the west coast of Vancouver Island. The whales travel from Mexico to the Arctic and back again. The whole trip is about 16,000 kilometres<\/span>. This is one of the longest<\/strong> yearly journeys<\/span> of any mammal<\/span>. Each March, the people who live around the Pacific Rim National<\/span> Park hold a festival to celebrate the whales\u2019 journey. The festival<\/span> is known as the Pacific Rim Whale Festival. The whales travel very close to the shore as they swim north. This allows people to gather together to watch them from land as well as from boats.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_84\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"400\"]\".\"<\/a> Bathtub race in Nanaimo[\/caption]\r\n\r\nOn the east coast of Vancouver Island, you can spot mammals of a different sort moving through the water --\u00a0people in bathtub boats! The city of Nanaimo is home to the world\u2019s oldest<\/strong> and best-known bathtub boat race. It started out as a silly event in 1967. Today, Nanaimo\u2019s World Championship<\/span> Bathtub Race is a serious<\/span> sport that brings racers<\/strong> and visitors<\/strong> from around the world.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_85\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"350\"]\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/ruthanddave\/4728395626\/in\/photolist-8cQeJY-8cLVbt-4Y4BWZ-4Y4xGK-8c1XYX-KM7cN-KMi9D-KMi8F-eHvFJS-4Y8XJG-8cQfCJ-4Y4ymx-4Y8Yo1-8cQghw\"<\/a> Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver[\/caption]\r\n\r\nVancouver is home to another famous festival on the water --\u00a0the Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat racing started in China over 2,000 years ago. It was brought to Vancouver during Expo 86. It returned as a yearly event in 1989 as a way to celebrate the many cultures living together in the city. The festival begins with a ceremony<\/span> to awaken the dragon and give\u00a0the people and boats the dragon\u2019s strength. Each boat has a dragon\u2019s head carved on the front and a tail on the back. The boat holds a team of about 20 people, who paddle to the beat of a drummer<\/strong> seated at the front.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_364\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\".\"<\/a> Vernon[\/caption]\r\n\r\nOne of Canada\u2019s largest<\/strong> winter festivals takes place in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. It\u2019s the Vernon Winter Carnival, which is held each February. Some of the major events include a BC snow sculpture<\/span> contest, sports using giant hot air balloons, and a parade. During the carnival, people can have a friend, co-worker,<\/strong> or boss arrested by carnival cops who then throw them in \u201cjail\u201d until they raise enough money for bail. All money raised goes to support the carnival.\r\n\r\nThe festivals of British Columbia are a way for the many people who live here to enjoy nature, share a laugh, and learn about one another.\r\n

\r\n

Word Patterns<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\nWhen you see the suffix -er<\/strong>, -or<\/strong>, or -ar<\/strong>\u00a0at the end of a word, it often means \u201ca person who.\u201d\r\n