Each night, following the games, there is a dance. Generally it lasts until 2 or 3 am but on some days (for instance Christmas and New Years) it goes all night. Usually it features Inuktitut dancing.
Inuktitut dancing originated in the arctic with Scottish Whalers, and has evolved into its own dance. How to describe Inuktitut Dancing…. imagine a cross between jigging and a square dance, to a fast reel, and then imagine that there isn’t any caller. It is incredible to watch, and I’m still amazed at how they keep it all straight. And it must be an incredible work out, because one dance just goes on and on.
You’ll note that I’ve said "it must be an incredible work out". Yes I’ve never partaken in the dance. When ever someone suggests I try it I just smile and say that I can’t dance. Truth be told, it confuses the heck out of me. I’m sure if I tried it everyone else would be weaving in and out, swinging each other round and round, alamanding, promenading and I’d end up somewhere in the audience, scratching my head and my a** at the same time.
The first time I saw the Inuktitut Dancing was my first New Years up here (Y2K) and I went to the gym around 4 am after getting back from Nanisivik (in a raging blizzard). There was an amazing amount of people in the circle dancing, smiling, and dripping sweat. I couldn’t believe that the dance just kept going and going, and I swear the gym was bouncing up and down to the beat. I’ll have to get some video.
So there is a lot going on at Christmas, but as I said, I had mostly let it pass by this year. I hadn’t been to the games but had finally decided I’d make it on Christmas Eve. Leah went promptly at 6pm, while Travis and I stayed behind, and I got him fed and watered. It was around 7:30 when we got to the gym just in time to see the last game end. I still hadn’t been to the games, as they had ended that night early. So we went to Leah’s parents and waited for the church service to start. At 10:30 we headed back to the gym.
The Christmas service here is an euchumenical one. There are two churches here, the Anglican and the Full Gospel, and there is also a small Roman Catholic congregation, and on Christmas and other occasions they hold a shared service in the gym. The service lasts until midnight and then after everyone wishes each other a Merry Christmas we retire to Leah’s parents. Up here, we open the presents after church on Christmas Eve. I must say that Travis just keeps having more fun each year. He gets just so giddy opening presents that it is infectious.
It is a late night though, and by the time everyone gets there and the presents are opened and the kids wind down, it is well past 2 am. So it was a lazy Christmas morning and we all slept late.
Normally I cook a big meal for Christmas or Christmas eve, and each year we also go over to Leah’s Aunt Leah’s place (no that isn’t a typo) for a large extended family gathering. The community also has a Christmas feast for everyone in the Hamlet (the town is divided into three sections for the three sittings). This year though we just went to Leah’s aunt’s. There gathering was much smaller this year and we had a very nice supper and visit.
There are no games on Christmas day, as the gym is needed for the feast, but in the evening there is a talent contest, always entertaining. Travis was kind of wiped out, so we left partway through, and as it got off to a late start we only saw about three performers.
I finally got to the games on Boxing Day, and true to form they were a blast. Also true to form I couldn’t roll the right number on a die to save my life. The Hamlet was the sponsor of these games and they had a pair of tickets to Ottawa as a door prize, so it was especially crowded. 
We, alas, didn’t get drawn.
I shouldn’t conclude this with out mentioning another unique aspect of the holidays up here. Every community has a local radio, that runs for a few hours each day. It’s used for announcements, discussions, sermons, and for some people something not unlike blogging – talking about whatever is on their mind. At Christmas time the radio runs almost around the clock and people call in from all over to wish people they know a Merry Christmas. While they are on the radio people call in and pass on their greetings through the announcer. Pretty repetitive after awhile, but it is a pretty cool, truly northern holiday tradition.
So that’s been my Christmas so far. Didn’t make it again to the games tonight, perhaps tomorrow. My crew is going to be taking apart in the seal hunting contest tomorrow (the old fashion way, no firearms) so it will be a lonely work day for me, maybe I should head to the gym tomorrow.
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I really love these posts about Christmas there! So interesting to read about different places & ideas.