Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 2/7/2023
NORTHAMPTON — The Chinese Association of Western Massachusetts (CAWM) is spearheading their first-ever Lantern Festival and Chinese Cultural Fair to bring awareness to the Chinese culture while simultaneously promoting unity and connection among the surrounding cities and towns.
The event, which is set for Feb. 11 from 3 to 8 p.m., will occur at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Building A on 80 Locust Ave. People of all backgrounds are invited to participate in traditional Chinese games, cultural crafts, folk sports, traditional dancing, martial arts, and much more. According to the flyer, 15 classical dishes from different regions of China will also be available for attendees to try.
The event is also a celebration of the Chinese New Year, which is a 15-day celebration that begins on Jan. 15 with the Chinese Lantern Festival. It is also called the Lunar New Year because the dates of the celebration follow the phases of the moon.
According to Lian Duan, a volunteer for CAWM, a major reason why they created this event is to celebrate the Chinese diaspora and Chinese American community that occupies the Hampshire County area. But beyond that, they also want to emphasize the fact that Asian American culture is not a monolith.
“We want to send out the message that we are such a diversified community, and we each bring a different culture and tradition,” said Duan. “We have a huge diversity within the Chinese culture that many in the community may overlook.”
Linda Hill, the current president of CAWM, told Reminder Publishing that the CAWM started over 20 years ago with the goal of bringing more relevance to the Chinese culture in the United States.
For a while, the volunteers and directors kept the organization enclosed within the Chinese community, but then about six years ago, the organization began reaching the broader community through events and other festivals, like the Asian Culture Festival.
“We have a long history of civilization and heritage, so we think sharing it is really important to us,” said Hill, an Agawam resident. “We want to create more of an understanding and mutual appreciation of our culture.”
The organization is a nonprofit and nonreligious entity that promotes cultural identity and cultural understanding. “We are open to other cultures as well, and we attend other cultural activities,” said Hill. “We’re hoping we can continue to network with other cultures.”
The Lantern Festival aims to achieve that community-building goal by representing a sense of belonging for the Chinese-American population.
For Duan, a first-generation immigrant, the event epitomizes the message and spirit of the CAWM. By developing a presence within the community, the organization finds its voice and allows people to listen to its voice.
“As we’re contributing to the community; as we’re doing something to the community; as we’re connecting different pockets in the community, we not only find our own voice, we also gain attention from the community,” said Duan. “Through this, we build that reciprocal relationship with our community, and in doing so, we develop a sense of belonging.”
Cecilia Chan, one of the directors of the CAWM, joined CAWM to help local businesses acquire funding and build a network amongst each other.
“A lot of Chinese people coming over to this country are having trouble learning to adjust their lives in the United States,” said Chan. “So, we’re trying to help them as much as we can.”
To achieve these opportunities, the CAWM is using events like the Lantern Festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year and culture while simultaneously inviting local businesses to participate in the event. The idea is to create this reciprocal relationship, where the businesses can aid aspiring entrepreneurs who attend the event while the businesses themselves attain crucial exposure to what they offer.
“As we bring more vendors to our people, we also increase the exposure of these businesses within our community,” said Duan. “We create a win-win situation where the businesses in the community can reach to our group of people, but then our group of people also know where to look for these resources … it’s a healthy dynamic we’re trying to achieve.”
Hill said the fundraising side of the organization is important because essentially it all goes back into the community to help businesses of all types of backgrounds and ethnicities. “We all have our distinct cultures and heritages, but at the same time, we’re all connected,” said Hill. “We want to help each other and support each other.”
According to Duan, the CAWM also hopes to continue its presence in the community by helping people in other ways. In the past, for example, the organization donated masks during the height of the coronavirus pandemic to a variety of different places in the community where resources were limited.
“This [festival] is one way we can develop this reciprocal relationship,” said Duan. “But we want this in other aspects of the community, as well.”
The essence of the festival beyond these business connections is to continue the pursuit of Asian American identity development for future generations, according to Duan. “One of the ways for children to develop this identity is by participating in cultural events pertaining to their roots,” said Duan, adding that the organization will have other events for children to connect with their culture since that was not always a possibility in the past.
Chan, for example, is a 1.5-generation immigrant who moved to the United States at a young age. At the time, the Chinese community was a lot smaller and some of the typical Chinese traditions were less prominent in the U.S.
But now, with the CAWM more visible than it has ever before, those traditions are steadily being brought to the forefront in a myriad of ways, and as a result, the broader community is becoming more involved in CAWM’s mission of family and love.
“Over the last few years, we’ve really been focusing on connection and unity,” said Hill. “We’re not just a complete separate group anymore…we’re part of the broader community and local area.”
People can learn more about the CAWM and Lantern Festival through their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081041688568.