Sunday, May 20, 1-3 p.m., Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents

Brattleboro Kite Festival of Japan, China and India

• for all ages, rain or shine
• Location: The Kiwanis Shelter atop Living Memorial Park
• Craft Activities * Games * Calligraphy * Poetry * Music
• Decorate koinobori, a giant carp-shaped windsocks or streamers.
• Make Japanese, Chinese, or Indian kites
• Bring your own kite to show and fly
• Try Chinese and Japanese writing, calligraphy and poetry dedicated to the Spring.
• Storytelling of tales about kites
• Make an origami frog that hops and an eensy weensy spider that climbs.
• This free event has a bake sale, plus, donations are welcome to help defray the cost of site rental and other programming expenses. Furthermore, donations are requested if acquiring or using kite materials provided at the festival.
• This festival combines two children’s day festivals, Japan’s (Kodomo-No-Hi on May 5) and China’s (Ertong Jie on June 1). Kite flying is featured in several festivals of India during the year.
• The purpose of these festivals is to value the personalities of children, consider their happiness, and thank their parents.
• The carp has been traditionally chosen as the shape of the windsock or streamer in Japan because it symbolizes strength and success. In China, legend has it that the carp once swam upstream to become an auspicious dragon, the benefactor of the natural world and of the abundance of the world for which humans give thanks.
• Directions to Memorial Park Kiwanis Pavilion: From downtown Brattleboro and I-91, 1/4 mile west on Route 9 Western Avenue from I-91 exit 2. Left turn across the Citizens Bridge (next to the pedestrian-only covered bridge). Then, first right all the way up the winding hill, continuing past the baseball diamond on the left, and the pool and rink on the right. Once parking fills up at the top, park on one side of the drive that leads up to the top.
• For further information, contact Adam Silver at (802) 579-9088.





Friday, May 4th, 5-8pm, Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) will have a table during Gallery Walk in Harmony Parking Lot off Elliot Street in downtown Brattleboro as part of the Diversity Day festivities. There will be a bake sale and also, for a donation, henna decoration will be done.


With great appreciation, Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) has received a hina-ningyo display, a set of ornamental dolls that celebrate one of the most important festivals of Japan. The display, on a specially made platform, is recreated during the days leading up to Japan’s Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) on March 3, celebrated for centuries to the present day. The Doll Festival is full of wishes for happiness, healthy growth and success. This display was donated to ACCVT by Hatsue Yokoi with thanks to Setsuko and Akio Ichinomiya for finding the display, preparing it and sending it to Vermont. Thank you to Yasuko Ichinomiya for setting up the display. The dolls have the traditional 9th to 12th century court dress of Japan’s Heian Period. The doll displays are generally heirlooms passed down within families. ACCVT is indeed fortunate to acquire this set and anticipates a display in late February / early March of 2013. For more details and pictures of the individual dolls, visit the doll festival page.

Friday, April 6, 8:30pm, at Brattleboro Museum: How did sushi become a global cuisine? What began as a simple but elegant food sold by Tokyo street vendors has become a worldwide phenomenon in the past 30 years. Sushi: The Global Catch (75 mins.) (Special Jury Award Winner, 2011 Seattle International Film Festival) is a feature-length documentary shot in five nations that explores the tradition, growth and future of this popular cuisine. Beautiful raw pieces of fish and rice now appear from Warsaw and New York to football games in Texas towns. Can this growth continue without consequence? The first Friday of each month, following Brattleboro’s popular Gallery Walk, BMAC presents Art Films After Gallery Walk, screenings of cinematic gems for only $5. Location: 10 Vernon Street, downtown Brattleboro.




Sunday March 18, 2012, 1:30pm-3:30 pm, at the Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) headquarters: 814 Western Ave., 1 mile west of I-91 Exit 2, on VT Route 9, on the left, West Brattleboro.

NoRuz / NawRuz: New Day, New Light, New Year in Persian and Central Asian Cultures:

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents an annual introduction to this ancient and current multicultural festival. Nowruz is celebrated in many parts of Asia and by Asians worldwide coinciding with the Spring Equinox with activities for all ages around the focus of the spread (sofreh) of auspicious items. No Ruz (Persian for ‘New Year’ or ‘New Day’) has been observed for thousands of years by the ancient cultures of Persia (present-day Iran), and has been celebrated as ‘Nauryz’ and ‘Navroz’ for thousands of years up to today by many peoples, countries and faiths including (not limited to) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the Baha’i, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kurds, Kyrgyzstan, the Sufis, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Uighurs in N.W. China, Uzbekistan, and the Zoroastrians (Parsi). Activities for this Brattleboro event include: a pot-luck lunch, readings from the Quran, the Baha’i Holy Writings and poetry by the Sufi poet, Rumi, and a review of the beginnings of No Rooz in the Asian world. There will be music, activities for children, learning Persian greetings and phrases to wish others well, and the tradition of sprouted grasses. There is also the customs of setting the special table or spread (sofreh) with seven plates or bowls containing items all beginning with the Persian sound ‘s’ and ‘sh’ all symbolizing peace, prosperity, growth and other auspicious meanings. NawRuz (No Ruz/Nauryz/Navroz/Nowruz) celebrates the arrival of Spring and is a thanksgiving celebration. A free event for all ages; donations to ACCVT are appreciated. Below is an example of the ACCVT sofreh:


Sunday, January 15, 1 – 3:30 pm, Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents

the Lunar New Year Festival of Vietnam, Korea and China

• in downtown Brattleboro at the Brattleboro Museum (BMAC),
• 10 Vernon Street at the junction of Routes 5, 119 and 142.
• Ushering in the Year of the Dragon,
• this annual celebration begins with lots of food: it’s a potluck. Bring a dish or some refreshments to share, either Asian or non-Asian, whatever you can manage.
• A craft and coloring table for younger children;
• T’ai chi and Chinese exercises, martial arts demonstrations;
• Group calligraphy mural, Lunar New Year song, and more;
• the Dragon dancing in a community parade;
• For further information, visit the event page or contact ACCVT Executive Director Adam Silver at (802) 257-7898 extension 1 or (802) 579-9088 or ACCVT Board President Michelle Mahin at (413) 244-3016.
• All ages are welcome to this free public event.
• Donations to ACCVT, a 501(c)(3) educational resource organization, are always greatly appreciated.

Sunday, January 1, 2012, 1:00-3:00pm: Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents

Shogatsu, Japanese New Year

a potluck celebration with fun activities for all ages and featuring poetry, food, games, song, and more.

O-Shogatsu is the most important festival of the year for many Japanese people. It looms large for many Japanese people as Thanksgiving and Christmas does for Americans in the United States. It’s a time for family and friends to get together and, like American New Year, a time to make changes in one’s life and bring in the new in a variety of ways. For Vermont, it’s an opportunity to celebrate for the whole community, neighbors, relatives, fellow townsfolk and to experience different cultures’ celebrations noticing the similarities and the variety that makes for differences.

Until the 19th century, Shogatsu’s occurrence was based on the lunar calendar. Since the mid 19th century, Shogatsu has been celebrated annually on January 1st. Sho 正 means first and gatsu 月 means moon or month. Shogatsu means ‘first month’ or ‘New Year’s.’

At left, the kadomatsu, auspicious decoration for entrances for Shogatsu, Japanese New Year, is fashioned from craft materials in an arts and crafts project to resemble a bundle of three decorated pieces of bamboo. This traditional Japanese auspicious decoration welcomes the harvest and is for prosperity, longevity and steadfastness.

Location: 814 Western Avenue, West Brattleboro, VT (ACCVT’s home base)
Directions: I-91 Exit 2, right turn off the exit ramp, nine-tenths mile west on VT Route 9 (Western Avenue) on the left. Parking on the Avenue (careful if crossing the street).
Information: Contact ACCVT Board Trustee Yasuko Ichinomiya Parmenter or ACCVT Executive Director Adam Silver at (802) 257-7898 extension 1.

Saturday October 29 2011, 6:00-7:30pm: Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents

Navaratri, Dance Festival of India

hosted by Sheetal and Ketan Kinkhabhwala at their lodge in West Dover, VT.

• Bring something to share for the vegetarian potluck.
• Try the garbha dance using the dandhiya ras sticks
• Try on a sari
• Apply a tilak or bindi to your forehead
• A story about the origins and significance of the festival
• Other fun activities for all ages
• light a lamp for prosperity, wherever you are
• A time to celebrate life and strengthen family and other social relationships
• Location: Sheetal and Ketan’s Austrian Haus Lodge at 6 Abroad Road, West Dover, VT.
• Directions: Routes 9 and 100 are open all the way from Brattleboro I-91 Exit 2 west to the Wilmington traffic light (18.3 miles) and then north on Rt. 100, 5 miles to the 2nd driveway on the left after crossing the Wilmington – West Dover Town Line (marked by a ‘Welcome to West Dover Sign’) Hurray for Vermont recovering from the storm!
• For more information on other events and on ACCVT in general, including how to get involved, contact ACCVT Executive Director Adam Silver at (802) 257-7898 ext. 1 or through the contact page of this website.



October 1 2011, 6pm: Friends of Mevlana and Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) present

A Celebration of Rumi

with poetry sharing, music and turning, at 814 Western Avenue, West Brattleboro. Bring your favorite poem to share by Mevlana Jalāl ad-Dīn Rumi, Persian mystic, (born 9/30/1207). There is musical accompaniment on the Oud (forerunner of the lute) and some turning (of a dervish), to commemorate the life of Rumi and his teaching. Afterwards: a potluck reception – bring finger food refreshments to share. Everyone is welcome in keeping with Rumi’s inclusion of people of all faiths. Come for a time of peace and shared reflection. Seating is limited. For more information, contact Rupa Cousins or Adam Silver (802) 257-7898 ext.1 or (802) 579-9088.

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival of China, Korea and Vietnam

Monday September 12th 2011, 6-8pm atop Memorial Park is Brattleboro’s 14th Annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Celebrate this Festival, for all ages, free to the public, rain or shine, with crafts, stories, songs, food, t’ai chi, and the rope tug (a fun activity of many Korean festivals). Then watch the harvest moon rise. The celebration will start with a pot-luck. Bring something to share that is either round like the moon or on a round plate or whatever you can manage. All are welcome. For more information call (802) 257-7898 ext.1 or (802) 579-9088. The donation basket will be at the event on behalf of ACCVT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational resource agency, to help defray costs of event programming and space rental. Next year, this festival is Sept. 30 and scheduled for Monday October 1st 2012.

Obon & Tanabata in Brattleboro

Japanese Obon and Tanabata in Brattleboro
* Friday, September 2nd, 5-7pm during Gallery Walk
* Location: Pliny Park in downtown Brattleboro, corner of High and Main Streets.
Celebrating a Japanese Tradition: Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents the double festivals of summer in a single evening observance during downtown Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk.
* Obon is a celebration of ancestors and reconnection with Spirits.
* Tanabata is a star festival for communities to make wishes for the future (happening each year when the paths of two of the brightest stars, Vega and Altair, meet in the sky).
* Join us and walk a lantern-lit path to the Table of Remembrance.
* A free event for all ages, all are welcome to celebrate ancestors and make wishes for the future
* Donations for ACCVT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational agency (accvt.org), are appreciated to help defray the cost of event coordination and space rental.
* Directions to event: I-91 Exit 2, then east on Westerrn Avenue, which is open east between Exit 2 and downtown Brattleboro. Parking is on and near Main Street including the lot off High and Grove Streets.
* For further information, contact ACCVT Executive Director Adam Silver at (802) 579-9088.
* Thanks to ACCVT Board Trustees Yasuko Parmenter and Michelle Mahin for coordinating this event.
There’s an album of images from Pliny Park at: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2371285643702.2141918.1297347508

Sunday March 27, 2011, 1:00pm-3:00 pm, at the Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) headquarters: 814 Western Ave., 1 mile west of I-91 Exit 2, on VT Route 9, on the left, West Brattleboro. A free event for all ages, donations to ACCVT are appreciated.

NoRuz / NawRuz: New Day, New Light, New Year in Persian and Central Asian Cultures:

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents an annual introduction to this ancient and current multicultural festival. Nowruz is celebrated in many parts of Asia and by Asians worldwide coinciding with the Spring Equinox with activities for all ages around the focus of the spread (sofreh) of auspicious items. No Ruz (Persian for ‘New Year’ or ‘New Day’) has been observed for thousands of years by the ancient cultures of Persia (present-day Iran), and has been celebrated as ‘Nauryz’ and ‘Navroz’ for thousands of years up to today by many peoples, countries and faiths including (not limited to) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the Baha’i, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kurds, Kyrgyzstan, the Sufis, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Uighurs in N.W. China, Uzbekistan, and the Zoroastrians (Parsi). Activities for this Brattleboro event include: readings from Persian and Baha’i poetry, learning Persian greetings and phrases to wish others well, henna craft, sprouted grasses and visiting with relatives and neighbors. There is also the customs of setting the special table or spread (sofreh) with seven plates or bowls containing items all beginning with the Persian sound ‘s’ and ‘sh’ all symbolizing peace, prosperity, growth and other auspicious meanings. NawRuz (No Ruz/Nauryz/Navroz/Nowruz) celebrates the arrival of Spring and is a thanksgiving celebration. Below is an example of the ACCVT sofreh: Persian potluck lunch:

Sundays February 20 – March 20, 2011, 5pm – 6pm, and continuing into April!
For details, contact ACCVT’s collaborating partner and host, Luminz Studio.

Ritu Shree presents Bollywood Dance workshops in Brattleboro

Bollywood Dance Workshops

with Ritu Shree
Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) and Luminz Studio Dance and Performing Arts Center present Bollywood Dance Workshops with Ritu Shree, Sundays 5-6pm at Luminz Studio, 74 Cotton Mill Hill, 3rd Floor, Brattleboro. Contact Luminz Studio to confirm your participation, (802) 254-9200. Classes are suggested donation per person of $10 at the door. First workshop was a big success; thanks to Darlene Jenson for hosting the space. Workshops the following month were continuing successes; thank you to Ritu for her time and sharing, to Aurora of Luminz Studio for hosting, and to Yasuko and Tony for the arrangements.

Instructor: Ritu Shree is a Dance movement therapy and counseling student at Antioch University New England in Keene, NH. She has spent a major portion of her life dancing. She has learned and performed Classical Indian dance forms like Bharatnatyam and Kathak, later specializing in Jazz, Bollywood and Modern dance. Ritu has been learning and performing for the last 15 years, has taught many dance classes, and trained college dance teams (India) in Jazz, Bollywood and modern dance.

Thursday, February 17, 6pm.

Land of Rice: Farming cultures in Assam State in India and in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta

Slide Talk by Steev Lynn. Event location: 814 Western Avenue, West Brattleboro, VT.
Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents “Land of Rice: Farming cultures in Assam and Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta” with Steev Lynn, one of ACCVT’s first trustees. Steev is giving an illustrated slide talk on a recent visit to Northeastern India and the Burmese delta region of the Irrawaddy. The event is free and open to the public. Donations to ACCVT are appreciated, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational resource agency that connects people through the arts and cultures of all Asia.