BRATTLEBORO — The Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents the Lunar New Year Festival of Vietnam, Korea and China on Sunday, Jan. 30, from 1 -4 p.m., at the River Garden, 157 Main St.
Ushering in the Year of the Rabbit, this annual celebration begins with eating together. It's a potluck, so bring a dish or some refreshments to share, either Asian or non-Asian, whatever you can manage.
There will be a craft and coloring table for younger children, tai chi and kung fu demonstrations, a group calligraphy mural, Chinese exercises, a presentation on Asian medical traditions, a Lunar New Year song, and the always popular is the Korean tug of war. Then, there's the giant Vietnamese Dragon, who forever dances after the heavenly pearl in a community parade along Main Street.
A Rabbit year is promised to be a quiet year after the ferocious tiger year we will be departing. Chinese tradition tells us that the Rabbit Year is a time to catch your breath and calm your nerves. It is also a time for negotiation.
This year's Lunar New Year Festival also features a display of local students' word-art and a poetry slam, these two endeavors inspired by Chinese characters and part of a yearlong community art project support through a grant from the Vermont Community Foundation. (More at chinesewordartbook.wordpress.com.)
For this eighth annual Lunar New Year in southeastern Vermont, ACCVT partners with the Chinese Culture and Language Group and Marlboro College staff and students. For further information, contact ACCVT Executive Director Adam Silver at 802-257-7898, ext. 1, or 802-579-9088, or ACCVT Board President Damon Honeycutt through his Facebook page.