A celebration of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Monkey, will take place in New Haven on Saturday, Feb. 6, as the New Haven Museum teams up with the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University and the Yale-China Association to co-host Lunarfest 2016. The day-long event offers hands-on workshops, talks, and performances for all ages.
Lunarfest begins at 10 a.m. with a colorful lion-dance procession down Whitney Avenue, between Grove and Trumbull streets. The lion-dance parade will include performances by the Educational Center for the Arts, Wudang Kungfu Academy, Southern Connecticut Chinese School, and the Connecticut Yankee Chorus.
From there, the festival moves indoors to three locations: the New Haven Museum (114 Whitney Ave.), the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale’s Luce Hall (34 Hillhouse Ave.), and the Yale-China Association (442 Temple St.). There will be numerous activities to choose from, including children’s arts and crafts, calligraphy, music, dance lessons, Chinese lantern making, Chinese clothing and design, language classes, Chinese dining etiquette, food and tea sampling, art demonstrations, and exhibits.
All activities are free and open to the public, but space is limited for some, and registration is required atwww.yalechina.org/lunarfest. In the case of light rain or snow, the morning’s activities will be moved inside to Luce Hall Auditorium. In the case of inclement weather, Lunarfest 2016 will be postponed to Saturday, Feb. 20.
For more information, or to register, visit www.yalechina.org/lunarfest, email lunarfest@yalechina.org, or call 203-432-3427.
The New Haven Museum, founded in 1862 as the New Haven Colony Historical Society, is currently celebrating 150 years of collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven.
The Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University promotes education about East Asia both in the college curricula and through lectures and workshops, conferences, cultural events, and educational activities open to faculty, students, K-16 educators, and the general public. Support for this day of Chinese arts and cultural programming has been provided by a Title VI National Resource Center Grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The Yale-China Association inspires people to learn and serve together. Founded in 1901 by graduates of Yale University, Yale-China fosters long-term relationships that improve education, health, and cultural understanding in China and the United States.