Our Events
WinterFest
“There's sNOw event like CSMA’s WinterFest”
Amid roars of festivity, tantalising smell of Lankan dishes waft the air. In a nutshell, CSMA's WinterFest is the embodiment of sustanence in the heart of an icy overcast.
Seniors' Day
"Youth may be the gift of nature, but age is a work of art"
In life's evolution, today's kid is tomorrow's senior citizen. Every existing organism goes through the same process. Nothing escapes. We've been raised instilling the value of filial piety that calls on us to take care of our aging or aged parents.
Another much applauded landmark event of CSMA is its Seniors' Day free luncheon filled with gifts and talks from professionals to honour the senior citizens of our community.
Ifthar
When we think of
Ramadan, I’m sure it conjures visions of our childhood memories from Sri Lanka
to all of us.
Who can forget the luxury of awaking late in the morning accompanied
by the sweet smells wafting from the special foods prepared by our mothers in
their kitchen kingdoms, Voraciously going through a long list of wonderful
books, Playing indoor games with our siblings & friends, Eagerly waiting
for the Azan for Maghrib prayer (I must confess that I always felt that the voice
of the Muezzin from our local Matale masjid ingrained an extra sweetness during
Ramadan), and then sitting together with our families & friends to share
the delicious food.
While it may be impossible to recreate that feeling here in Canada, CSMA
brings solace to our homesick hearts by organizing a free Ifthar event open to
Sri Lankan Muslim community, solely sponsored by its members alone.
Summer Picnic
"Why did you vanish,
oh Summer?
I sensed your warm breeze drift through my car window
As I drove through the 401 highway.
Why did you vanish, oh Summer?
I had you near,
I sensed your warm breeze drift through my car window
As I drove through the 401 highway.
Why did you vanish, oh Summer?
I had you near,
Your healing heat cleansed
my skin with sweat
As I strolled through Meadowvale & Ellesmere.
Why did you vanish, oh Summer?
As I strolled through Meadowvale & Ellesmere.
Why did you vanish, oh Summer?
I never noticed your
hasty parting
I held you in my palms
I held you in my palms
You
didn’t have to depart so soon
How did you sneaked out?"
How did you sneaked out?"
When we were young and growing up in Sri Lanka, the name
Canada was synonymous with winter and snow. When we landed here, it was a
pleasant surprise to discover that Canadians with their typical optimism maintain
a little bit of summer even in the middle of winter but the realization that we’ve
no time to waste hits us only when it’s summertime. We're on the go from a
beach day to a barbecue night.
When summer is in its full swing, CSMA organizes an outdoor event
where surrounded by your families and friends, it offers a plethora of
opportunities to embark on our favourite form of outdoor dining: a
picnic!
With schoolbags retiring to closets, agendas & schedules
getting tossed out the window, and the summer sun saturating everything in its magical
radiance, CSMA’s Summer Picnic rallies the community’s old & young for an
exciting day bursting with heaps of amusing & entertaining activities.
Ladies' Night
In a world where
social media is monarch, face-to-face bonding is quickly becoming a thing of
the past. But tweeting, Instagramming & Facebooking doesn’t give you the
quality time a good Ladies’ Night will. Talking to your friends in the flesh
you get a chance to have human contact and get out of your bubble.
Many decades ago, men figured out
that sports and other activities were a great way for them to bond with other
men. These events help them to release stress, have intellectually
stimulating conversations, get active and to make business connections.
Because men have been doing this for so many years, their natural
networking at these events is almost its own art form.
Though women have now taken over as a
dominant presence in the workforce, they are still shouldering a huge portion
of the household responsibilities such as cleaning, cooking, child rearing, …the
list goes on and on. Many women still feel pressured to ignore time for
themselves which can lead to increased feelings of anxiety and depression.
CSMA attaches great value
to our ladies emotional health and thus came up with Ladies’ Night event which
helps to lower their stress.
Annual Gala Dinner
As we all know
life can become very humdrum with our daily chores and before we know it, we’ll
feel like we’re in a furrow. CSMA’s Annual Gala Dinner is a break from the
ordinary and an option to link with what really matters - association,
inspiration and a perhaps a memory that your 80-year old self will thank you for.
CSMA’s Annual
Gala Dinner offers an opportunity to our community to share their happiness and
foster a close relationship with each other. This event is the epitome of CSMA’s
deep desire to celebrate its success and growth by connecting with the community
that continue to nourish it for over a quarter century.
Our event is a feast on life itself and you are guaranteed to
walk away with fond memories and new friends. One of our core values is “connection”
and not only do we love to connect with people, but we enjoy connecting people
to each other. Moving away from the obligations of life and engaging in something extraordinary,
our Annual Gala Event is where the a-ha moments find you to elevate beyond the average.
Workshops
CSMA’s
Workshops deliver a way to create an intensive informative experience in a
short span of time, when the time for a more comprehensive effort may not be
available. Most importantly, our workshops introduce new concepts, spurring
participants to investigate them further on their own.
Our
Workshops such as the Janaza Workshop which was directed towards the ladies was
a great way to teach hands-on skills because it offered participants a chance
to practice the concepts they learned.
One of the significant
aims of CSMA’s Workshops is to help to create a sense of community and common
purpose among their participants.
Interfaith Dialogues
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” (Holy Quran - 49:13)
CSMA strongly believes that the breach between religions is not insurmountable and that individuals can transcend their egocentricity to see the genuine spark of the divine that rests in another soul.
We at CSMA are convinced that it is through the act of dialogues and encounters that we not only improve our own individual character but we help make the world a more courteous, empathetic and accommodating abode.
We at CSMA are convinced that it is through the act of dialogues and encounters that we not only improve our own individual character but we help make the world a more courteous, empathetic and accommodating abode.
Charity Work
Empathy, social justice, sharing, strengthening, and compassion – all these are incorporated in the
Quranic articulation of the ethical concept of charitable giving. This ethic intends
not only to correct social ills but also to reflect the moral and spiritual
value attached to the use of wealth, resources and effort for the welfare of
individuals and communities.
Charity is the
act of extending love and kindness to others unconditionally, which is a
conscious act but the decision is made by the heart, without expecting a reward. When Charity is carried out selflessly, it is
a one-way act where a person gives but asks for nothing in return.
CSMA has always been the torchbearer in charitable giving since its
establishment in 1994.