The two-day Winterruption Saskatoon event allows people the chance to get outside and enjoy the prairies’ winter weather.

This is the second year the event has been held outdoors as a way to get people out of hibernation and take part in traditional outdoor activities.

A community fire is bringing people together to warm up at Winterruption.

Along with spending time outside in the snow, Winterruption organizer Laura Hale said the event is about meeting new people and sharing different cultures.

“[We] use the teepee to come together,” she said.  “In a non-traditional way through a variety of different storytellers.”

A First Nations elder opened the event Saturday. Throughout the course of the day, many people of different cultures shared stories inside the teepee to bring the community together.

Yonnes Tesfayhaiae is from Eritrea in East Africa. He moved to Canada two months ago and is one of the storytellers sharing his culture’s folktales within the teepee.

“The main message is wisdom and education,” he said. “The main source of wisdom and education are the elders.”

Nordic Skiing, snowshoeing and sledding were all available for people to take part in.

Tesfayhaiae said he is hoping events like Winterruption help him meet more people in Saskatoon.

“I think Canada is special accepting many people from all over the world,” he said.  “To meet people from all over is somewhat equal to reaching other places.”

Winterruption runs until 10 p.m. on Saturday and is a family-friendly event with activities for all ages.

Source: Read Full Article