Celebrating the Lunar New Year through traditional Chinese cooking

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - With the first day of February comes the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Tiger.

Lunar New Year, also known as spring festival, begins Tuesday.

Normally, this is a big celebration for Asians all over the world. Like the past two years, Lunar New Year celebrations will, again, look different because of the pandemic.

In a normal year, hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens alone hop on trains, planes and roadways to reunite with family members.

Even half a world away, Lunar New Year celebrations in Vermont are muted this year.

But one Chinese educator, entrepreneur and artist in Vermont is sharing her love of traditional Chinese cooking virtually for the new year.

Our Elissa Borden spoke with Brattleboro’s Cai Xi to learn more about how to celebrate, even if it has to be over Zoom. Watch the video to see their conversation.

Cai Xi has two cooking demos scheduled this month through the Asian Cultural Center of Vermont.

The first is Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 5:30 p.m. The Brattleboro Museum and Art Center is presenting a Lunar New Year Cooking Demo of Dumpling Making. To participate, click here to register for free. Register in advance to gather the ingredients and implements to fully participate in the dumpling making.

The second demo is next Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 5:30 p.m. The Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth is presenting a HopStop Family Workshop, “HeZi for Dinner” with Cai Xi, how to make the Chinese pocket pies. To participate, click here to register for free. Register in advance to gather the ingredients and implements to fully participate in the cooking project.

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