(Host) Vermont’s Chinese community gathered in South Burlington Saturday afternoon to usher in the Chinese New Year. About 200 people were on hand for the event, which was held at the Tuttle Middle School. Young students sang traditional songs and gave a variety of performances.
The celebration was put on by the Vermont Chinese School, which offers after-school classes in Chinese language and culture to students of all ages. Jun Yu is the principal of the school. He says the New Year celebration is the highlight of the year for the Chinese community:
(Yu) “This is a, traditionally in China, would be the most celebrated holiday in China. People usually have probably a week off at least 3 or 5 days. Plenty of food, relatives visiting each other, so a lot of activities.”
(Host) Jun Yu says last year was the Year of the Horse, this year, is the year of the sheep.