Former refugee in Calgary dresses as Santa Claus to welcome newcomers in four languages

Over a hundred newcomers living temporarily in a Calgary hotel celebrated their first Christmas Eve in Canada on Sunday.

For some of the children, it’s their first time getting a Christmas present and they received the gifts straight from Santa Claus, who just happens to speak four languages including Dari, Pashto, Hindi and English.

In this instance, Santa was Rafi Wahaj, who came to Calgary in 2001 as a refugee.  He now works at Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and was playing the role of Santa on Sunday.

“It is amazing. I’m so happy helping people after over years here to give back,” Wahaj said.

The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) hosted a Christmas party for the newcomers who are staying at a hotel on Macleod Trail. It will be their home for up to two months.

“It’s very exciting but there’s layers of emotions because you also have a sense that you’ve left your family behind, you left your land behind, everything you know behind. So it’s like starting fresh which can be exciting but also very scary,” said Bindu Narula director, resettlement and integration services at CCIS.

Thanks to a $2,500 donation from the Optimist Club of Calgary, around 70 children and teens at the hotel received a present.

Sixteen-year-old Samiya was born in Afghanistan and has been living temporarily in India. She arrived in Calgary with her mother and three siblings in November.

“I’m excited to start a new life here and it’s also very amazing. The people are good here and very kind to others,” Samiya said.

But it’s apparent when Samiya is asked what she’s longing for now, that no present can make up for a teenager leaving all her friends behind.

“My friends, I really miss them,” Samiya said.

“We talk on the phone sometimes, but it’s hard because it’s day here and night there so it’s hard to communicate,”

Many of the people here have spent years in refugee camps before arriving in Calgary.

“There’s a component of trauma. A lot of refugees have gone through a very difficult time prior to coming to Canada or even on the route to Canada — a lot of time in limbo,” Narula said.

They may not come from backgrounds that celebrate Christmas but coming together to celebrate and spirit of giving is universal.

“We like to show how things are done here in Canada. Not everybody has to be observing Christmas in order to enjoy the festivities,” Narula said. “There is  a lot of monotony in the temporary accommodation here where there’s a lot of meetings, a lot of orientations, people have to get a lot of information, so we thought we would mark the season by having something a little out of the ordinary by having Santa come in and share some gifts with the kids.

“We’re very proud to have a country that opens their arms to refugees, to people who are very vulnerable. I think this year, all Canadians, not just refugees, are feeling it a little bit more. With the cost-of-living going up there’s a lot of demand out there.  We just have to remember for humanity’s sake that we open our arms and receive everybody welcomingly,” Narula said