Downtown Montreal’s 71st Santa Claus Parade takes place Saturday, and this year it will have an aerospace engineer by its side: Farah Alibay as the Star Fairy.

“As a kid, if someone had told me that the Star Fairy in 2023 would be an immigrant, queer and engineer, I wouldn’t have believed it! », Says Farah Alibay on the phone.

“I represent someone different, unexpected, that’s what’s beautiful. I think each Star Fairy brings their own personal touch to the character. My link is more direct since my job is to study the stars and that’s why I accepted this inspiring role. My message for young and old is to be able to dream, to have ambitions and to persevere,” explains the woman who works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a research center affiliated with NASA.

According to Glenn Castanheira, general manager of Montreal downtown, we couldn’t imagine a better Star Fairy. “Farah Alibay makes us dream, she is magical and so inspiring! he says. She makes us proud collectively with her journey and her personality. »

Each year, to choose the Star Fairy, her team seeks an inspiring personality who reflects the identity of downtown Montreal. “We also rely on our producer partners,” he explains, “we seek to have a consensus and we make the decision. »

In the past, Ima, Marie-Mai, Marie-Ève ​​Janvier, Joannie Rochette and Vanessa Pilon, among others, have been Star Fairies. Last year, the choice of the Barbada drag queen was not unanimous. “We cannot be both the bearer of diversity and inclusion and achieve unanimity. The choice of the Star Fairy reflects Montreal’s identity, and Montreal’s identity is not unanimous. You only need to have a conversation about Montreal to realize the diversity of opinions,” says Glenn Castanheira.

Santa Claus parades have existed in Montreal since the beginning of the 20th century. They were organized at the time by the city’s various stores, recalls Jean-Philippe Warren, professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Concordia University.

“Christmas is a commercial holiday, but we needed to add some magic to it all. So, over the years, we invent characters. There is Santa Claus who comes from the North Pole, the elves who make the gifts, then we add Mother Christmas who we see less here, but who is very present in the United States… and the Star Fairy who seems be a purely Quebec invention, because we don’t see it elsewhere,” he observes.

It also appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. “The inspiration probably comes from Perrault’s tales where there are fairies. And we built our own mythology. She is the opposite of Santa Claus. She is a young, refined, delicate feminine figure, she welcomes children, she is very gentle and above all she has a more fanciful side, because she can dress differently every year,” explains the author of the book. Hooray for Santa Claus!.

We can’t reveal anything about the Star Fairy costume created by Marie-Claude Chailler, aka Marie-Cocotte, but Farah Alibay says it will be surprising.

Farah Alibay remembers with a laugh: “My little brother believed in Santa Claus, he was 4, I was 7, and already, being the great scientist that I was, I had shown him that he didn’t exist! »

“With Farah Alibay, we enter another dimension. A brilliant aerospace engineer with an incredible trajectory. There are no more limits to dreams. You can imagine yourself exploring the planet Mars! The children will ask Santa for a set to explore the planets… we are in a new dimension and it is so much richer. We should name her a Star Fairy for life! », exclaims Jean-Philippe Warren.

Farah Alibay has dreams too. “A big childhood dream was to be an astronaut,” she confides. My role as Star Fairy is very fitting since I work on the SPHEREx telescope which will be launched into space to study around half a billion galaxies. Which will help us understand the beginnings of our universe. »

The official start of the Santa Claus parade is scheduled for 11 a.m. on René-Lévesque Boulevard, opposite Esplanade Place Ville Marie. Farah Alibay admits to being a little nervous, but so happy. “Young people will perhaps see a part of themselves in me,” thinks the Star Fairy. It allows you to dream, but also to see that everything is possible. »