Lunarfest (At Home) Events and Activities

Welcome!

For 2021, the Yale-China planning committee for Lunarfest has taken great care to present a variety of artistic, culinary, and lifestyle programs to support, inspire, and entertain you and your loved ones during this Lunar New Year season.

Wherever you are in the world, we are so glad you are joining us virtually to usher in the Year of the Ox. 平安健康。牛年大吉！

See below for the full listing of offerings for Lunarfest (At Home) 2021. Events are free and open to the public. Click on the topics to jump to a section.

💡 indicate live events and may require registration

Ivy League Spring Festival Gala 春晚 - Feb. 13, 8 pm ET 💡 live
Join the Chinese student associations of Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, and Princeton for their 2021 Spring Festival Gala. 北京时间2021年2月14日上午9点. The live feed for 2/13 at 8 pm ET is available at this link.

NHSO + NHFPL, Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story From China by Ed Young - Feb. 20, 10 am ET 💡 live
It’s story time with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra! In true NHSO fashion, you will not only hear a Chinese telling of the classic story, Little Red Riding Hood, (in English), but also the musical motifs by a musician from the orchestra. Inspire your senses with this special performance of storytelling. Register here.

Wu Dang Kung Fu Academy Demonstration, 7 min
Master Jack Guo is back with his team to wish you a happy and healthy new year, demonstrating several styles and forms of martial arts, including individual and group performances. View the performance here to kick off your Lunar New Year celebration!

The Ox and the Great Race: A stop motion animation Shadow Puppet film by Kimberly Van Aelst, 10 min
OompaPossum Puppets, an international award-winning puppetry company, presents The Ox and the Great Race, featuring handcrafted puppets. This virtual film highlights the importance of the Ox in the legend of the Great Race of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Enjoy this unique shadow puppet animation film and don’t forget to create your own ox shadow puppet in our activities section. Stop by the Lunarfest window at 832 Chapel Street to view the artist’s array of Ox shadow puppet silhouettes on display powered by Town Green District. See the short film here.

The Art of Calligraphy and Painting
Watch demonstrations of various styles of ink-based art, including works by Zhou Bin, Zhang Qifeng, and Cao Xiaoxing. View the calligraphy and painting page here.

The Rainbow Bridge with Valerie Hansen, 11 min
Yale-China’s symbolic mark signifies a network of support, strengthened by personal relationships, like the beams of a traditional Chinese woven bridge. Valerie Hansen takes us through a section of a Song Dynasty scroll (often called “Along the River During Qingming Festival,” 清明上河图) painted by Zhang Zeduan that features the rainbow bridge and the life of everyday people. Don’t miss out on your free bridge kit (while supplies last) designed by Eli Whitney Museum. Learn about the rainbow bridge here.

“The Joy of Harvest (庆丰收)” by Hsing-ay Hsu 许兴艾, 5 min
Enjoy this featured performance by Hsing-ay Hsu, a Steinway Artist concert pianist. Arranged by her father, Fei-Hsing Hsu, a former pianist of the Central Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing, this piece explores three characters: a pure innocence and intense joy, a celebration of farming and use of hands, and perseverance and hard work. The ox is particularly known to be a hard worker. Don’t miss this spectacular Lunarfest premiere on the eve of Lantern Festival, February 25. Learn more about the piece and the artists here.

Mulan Art and Dance School 木兰健身艺术学校
The Mulan Fitness Art School is a school that strives to promote not only fitness but also traditional Chinese dance styles. Mulan School has contributed a number of breathtaking performances as part of Lunarfest (At Home). View their performances here. The entire collection will be available on February 21.

Celadon Youth Music Ensemble & Theatrical Group
Instead of their usual in-person performance, Celadon shares a few past performing records and a few recently recorded musical pieces. Founded in 2006, Celadon Youth is a non-profit youth music and performing arts organization with a mission of sharing the beauty of Asian classical music, dance, and theatrical performing art forms with our local community audiences. View their performances here.

“Sun of the Morning” Melody by Chinese Connecticut Dance, 5 min
This dance performed by Chinese Connecticut Dance does not exhibit fancy footwork or beautiful dance positions, but, rather, the "flames" of daily life, focusing on the “hidden” elegance, sophistication, comforting and routine gestures of day-to-day living that may go unnoticed. Asian femininity, the traditional qipao, Shanghainese women —- this dance showcases the artistry and aesthetic of daily life during that era. View the performance here.

"送别 (Farewell)" by the Yale Chinese Chorus, 3 min
“送别 Farewell" is a parting song with lyrics by Hong Yi (Li Shutong) which he set in 1915 to the melody of "Dreaming of Home and Mother" composed in 1851 by American John P. Ordway. Established in 2004, the Yale Chinese Chorus is an amateur singing group comprised of Yale students, scholars, faculty, and staff, as well as other professionals and family members from the Greater New Haven area. View the performance here.

Lin Huiyin 林徽因 Poetry Reading by Hopkins School and MSON students, 2 min
This is a recording of 16 students from the MSON Chinese V course reciting “You are the April of This World” by Lin Huiyin (你是人间的四月天-林徽因 ). In this dark time,  你是人间的四月天 represents the hope we feel for reaching the spring and someday the end of the pandemic. Learn about the poem and view the reading here.

“Water Sleeve Dance” by Tsinghua International School, 2 min
To celebrate the Spring Festival, one of the most important festivals in the Chinese culture, the young dancers from the Tsinghua International School (THIS) performed a “Water Sleeve” dance to send their most sincere greetings to the Yale-China Association and the Yale community. Watch the performance here.

Performances by Southern Connecticut Chinese School Students
The SCCS students are back with a new rendition of “感恩的心 (Grateful Heart)” in an expression of gratitude to first responders and essential workers. A dance duo wishes you a happy Chinese New Year with a contemporary dance with colorful 1980s set and costume. Watch the performances here.

Storytelling with Motoko - Feb. 10, 4:30 pm ET 💡 live
Motoko is a storyteller specializing in Asian folktales, and she will share songs and stories that will help bring in the new year.  This fun, interactive, virtual program is great for all ages. The storytelling will be on Wednesday, February 10th, from 4:30-5:15pm. Sign up here to get the link to the Zoom meeting.

Chinese New Year Trivia with YPD - Feb. 13, 11:30 am ET 💡 live
Join Yale Police Department Community Officer Martha Cedeno-Ross for a set of trivia questions about the Lunar New Year. Winners receive a special prize: an Eli Whitney Museum shadow puppet construction kit that you can animate and personalize. Pre-registration required. Register here.

Small space Tai Chi at the New Haven Museum with Shirley Chock - Feb. 13, 2:00 pm 💡 live
Join Shifu Shirley Chock from Aiping Tai Chi Center as she leads a class in tai chi. Tai chi has numerous mental and physical health benefits, including reducing anxiety and depression challenges and increasing cognitive and physical functions. Presented by the New Haven Museum. The workshop will be streamed live on the New Haven Museum’s Facebook page. Visit this page on Feb. 13 at 2:00 pm.

Storytelling with Tom Lee: Year of the Ox - Feb. 15, 12 pm ET 💡 live
Join storyteller and educator Tom Lee for a close look at James Ward’s 1814 painting of two oxen, accompanied by the telling of a story inspired by this selection. Ox shadow puppets sponsored by the Yale Center for British Art and designed by the Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop are available in limited quantities for the first registrants. Pre-registration required. Presented by Yale-China and the Yale Center for British Art. Register here.

Multilingual Story Time with New Haven Free Public Library - Feb. 16, 11 am ET 💡 live
Join the New Haven Free Public Library for a special Lunar New Year story time. A special Chinese New Year story will be read in English, Chinese, and Spanish. This event is free and open to the public. No registration required. Access the recordings here.

Animation for Beginners - Feb. 20, 3:00 pm ET 💡 live
Learn basic animation principles with Austin Han, freelance artist and animator. See the process through from beginning to end as we complete a short animated gif about the year of the ox. This program is meant to be accessible for all ages and aims to be a gentle entry point into the process. You too can animate! Pre-registration required. Register here.

Chinese New Year Bingo - Feb. 23, 4:30 pm ET 💡 live
Join our virtual bingo hall as we put a Chinese New Year twist on an American classic. Instead of numbers, Chinese New Year bingo will feature pictures of important New Year objects and traditions designed by a local artist. There will be multiple rounds and multiple winners. Winners get a shadow puppet kit designed by Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop. This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration required. Register here.

CASPY Shadow Puppets - Feb 26., 2 pm ET 💡 live
Chinese Adopted Siblings Program at Yale (CASPY) will teach participants how to create their own shadow puppets from household materials. This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration required. Register here.

CASA Lantern Making - Feb. 26, 4 pm ET 💡 live
Yale Chinese American Student Association (CASA) will host a live tutorial for making lanterns from Lunar New Year red envelopes. Create your own lantern to hang for Lantern Festival. A limited number of craft kits are available and will be given to registrants while quantities last. This event is open to the public. Pre-registration required. Register here.

Ely Center Lunar New Year Photo Stories from Hong Kong Virtual Exhibit - Feb. 26 premiere
Ely Center Lunar New Year Artist Talk - 8:00 pm ET 💡 live
Explore photo stories of Lunar New Year celebrations from Hong Kong in the virtual exhibit on the Ely Center of Contemporary Art website here. These photo stories come from members of the Yale-China community in Hong Kong telling their 2021 Lunar New Year story. The virtual exhibit will premiere on February 26. Presented by Ely Center of Contemporary Art and Yale-China. Speak with the photographers and hear their stories during our artist talk. Pre-registration required. Register here for the artist talk.

Shadow Puppets and Theater with OompaPossum Puppets
Learn how to design your own Ox shadow puppet with lessons from OompaPossum Puppet’s Kimberly Van Aelst. Don’t miss seeing her stop motion animation film, The Ox and the Great Race, in our Arts and Performances section. See the tutorial at this link.

Bridge and Shadow Puppet Construction Kits by Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop
Get creative with Eli Whitney Museum’s rainbow bridge and shadow puppet construction kits. Enjoy this screen-free activity and make your creations come alive with stories, light, and other objects around your house. Kits are limited, with special thanks to the International Association of New Haven, the Lawhorn Family, and the Jane and William Curran Foundation. Registration required for pick up. Register and learn more here.

Grab-n-Go Craft Kits from the New Haven Museum
We are happy to offer small craft kits to take home and celebrate Lunarfest (At Home) 2021. These kits will include supplies to make our own masks, papercutting designs, and a few more goodies. We hope you can stop by the museum to pick up your kits to celebrate the Year of the Ox. To sign up for a date and time to pick up your kits, register here.

Take-and-Make Kits and Ox Bookmarks from the New Haven Free Public Library
Get your take and make kit from the New Haven Free Public Library. Activities can be done individually or as a family. Be sure to pick up your Year of the Ox bookmark created on the Ives Squared laser cutter. Learn how to pick yours up here.

Ivy Wok Food Demonstration - Feb. 22, 12 pm ET 💡 live
Join Chef Coreen Guo of Ivy Wok to learn how to create delicious and simple Chinese New Year dishes. Preview the recipes in the 2021 Lunarfest cookbook, then cook along with Coreen. Pre-registration required. Register here.

Lunarfest Cookbook
Curated by Yale-China intern, Lauren Clorite, this cookbook features recipes from interviews with chefs from throughout the local region and tips on how to treat yourself this Year of the Ox. See the cookbook here.

Interview with Chef Lucas Sin of Junzi and Nice Day Chinese, 10 min
Learn more about Lucas’ process of creating delicious dishes for Junzi Kitchen in New Haven. What is authenticity in regional cuisines? How can food contribute to understanding culture? Find out what Lucas served his staff for breakfast and learn to make his classic tomato egg noodle soup in the Lunarfest Cookbook. View Chef Lucas’ video here.

Interview with Chef Dave Kuzma of the School of Management
Meet Dave Kuzma, who has traveled around the world and brought back a few bites for you. Learn more about his recipe, included in the Lunarfest Cookbook. Watch our interview with Chef Dave here.

Yale CHATogether: Supporting emotional wellness during the pandemic - Feb. 18, 12 pm ET 💡 live
This year, our Chinese New Year celebrations will be unprecedented. Yale Compassionate Home, Action Together (CHATogether) uses interactive theater to address emotional wellness and family harmony in our holiday seasons. We will leave you with child-parent communication tips and strategies. Moderated by Dr. Eunice Yuen, Yale Child Study Center. All are welcome. Pre-registration required. Register here.

Wellness Toolkit
Explore Yale-China’s wellness toolkit created to provide resources and connections for the New Haven community. Discover intergenerational communication strategies through story and art; try out your own mindfulness routine guided by Yale-China Arts Fellows; create your self-care plan with cards from Being Well at Yale and art by visual artists of ACES Educational Center for the Arts; and see resources for mental health support and wellness. Sponsored by the Yale Community for New Haven Fund. Launch the toolkit here.

A Practice in Mindfulness by Yale-China Artists
Body movement artists Cai Ying and Sarah Xiao present a mindfulness video series designed for morning and evening routines. These practices will focus your attention on your body, reduce stress, and support self-reflection. Launch the series here.

ECA Exhibition: Expressions of Self-Care
Artists from ACES Educational Center for the Arts share expressions of self-care based on the Create Your Self-Care Plan cards designed by Yale-China and Being Well at Yale. Sponsored by the Yale Community for New Haven Fund. Special thanks to Johanna Bresnick. Launch the exhibition here.

Create Your Self-Care Plan cards - FREE
Pick up your own set of self-care cards created by Yale-China, Being Well at Yale, and ECA visual artists. These cards are daily reminders to support your wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around you. Register for a free set at this link.

Story + Art: An Intergenerational Activity Guide
Discover art from the Yale Center for British Art and Yale-China stories through visual literacy, with an introduction by Linda Friedlaender. Build empathy across generations through this bilingual activity guide, designed for families who may be apart or have loved ones in other locations. Launch the guide here.

CHATogether Comics and Exercises
Develop healthy two-way communications within your family and close relationships through comics created by artist Nealie Ngo and resources developed by Compassionate Home, Action Together. View the resource page here.

Understanding microaggressions with Shuei Kozu, 23 min
Professor Shuei Kozu of Southern Connecticut State University is conducting a study on microaggressions toward Asian Americans in New Haven. Learn more about how to get involved in this interview with Dr. Kozu.