Monday December 21st 6:00PM – 10:00PM PST

On Monday December 21st you can join the Secret Lantern Society’s at-home solstice celebration with an interactive Lantern Dance Party, a virtual walk through the Labyrinth of Light, some dark tales of solstice past, live music, headdress making with plants, some astonishing astronomy, and you!

Equinoxes and solstices happen twice each year. The biggest difference between solstice and equinox is the distance between the celestial equator and the sun. The solstices happen when the sun is farthest from the celestial equator. The equinoxes happen when the Sun is directly overhead at the equator and day and night are nearly of equal length. Equinoxes occur on approximately March 21 and Sept. 22, known as Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox. Solstices happen approximately on June 21 and Dec. 21, known as the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, respectively. 

The Winter Solstice happens when the sun shines directly with 90 degrees on the Tropic of Cancer and the Northern Hemisphere has the shortest day of the year.  In 2020 Universal Time, it will happen at 10:02:12 on December 21^st. After the Winter Solstice, the days in the Northern Hemisphere gradually get longer and the nights get shorter. Winter Solstice is celebrated in many places around the world, but it takes special significance in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Iranian cultures. Dongzhi is celebrated in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. “Dongzhi” means “The extreme of Winter”, “Yalda night” is an ancient Iranian festival, an intangible cultural heritage now shared by a majority of West and Central Asian countries, and “Yule or Yuletide” is celebrated in Northern Europe.Here in Vancouver and for the past 27 years, the Secret Lantern Society has organized the Winter Solstice Festival. Join us and celebrate the Winter Solstice this December 21^st.

The Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society is pleased to invite you to its 25th Annual General Meeting to be held virtually on Sunday, January 10th, 2021 at 5:00 pm PST via Zoom. Though we cannot gather in-person, we look forward to seeing all of our community members, partners, and guests come together to explore how we can each play a role in celebrating explorASIAN’s 25th anniversary. 

The meeting is open to the public and we encourage you to share this invitation with any folks in your community who may be interested in learning more about – or joining –  VAHMS!

Immediately following the meeting, VAHMS will be presenting a VAHMSconnections AGM Special with Shahid Abrar ul-Hassan, Chair of the program, who will be joined by Sinologist and VAHMS Advisor, Dr. Jan Walls. You will be automatically registered for both events through this link.

2021 AGM Agenda

2021 Slate of Directors

2020 AGM Minutes

A Virtual Exhibition

Exhibition The Origins of Our Souls – Art by Pepe Hidalgo and Guo Yan showcases twenty five medium to large scale acrylic paintings by artist Pepe Hidalgo, a renowned Spanish artist living in Delta, BC; thirteen large-scale oil paintings by Chinese-Canadian artist Guo Yan; and twenty five pairs of 8 x 10 inches paintings, of which odd numbered paintings are by artist Pepe Hidalgo, the corresponding even numbered paintings are by artist Guo Yan. Each pair of paintings are the result of the duo’s communication over the language barrier with the help of Hidalgo’s wife Noreen Marte and Guo Yan’s English-speaking friends. 

Hidalgo speaks Spanish. Guo Yan speaks Mandarin. They met at an exhibition titled Bridges of Friendship in 2019 at Lipont Gallery, which was organized by the Consulate of Mexico in Vancouver on an annual basis to bring together Mexican artists and local artists of different cultural background to showcase their recent artworks and enrich the cultural life of the community. The two artists’ conversation started at Hidalgo’s painting The Spinners, which is a contemporary interpretation of Diego Velázquez’ masterpiece Las Hilanderas (The Spinners). 

Shortly after, Hidalgo and Guo kicked off on a year-long collaboration of the twenty-five pairs of paintings despite the language barrier. They considered it innovative soul-to-soul communication. It was revolutionary for both artists’ careers and the results are stunning. The themes of the paintings touch on folklores, cultural symbols, local art scenes, abstract subjects, cityscapes around the globe, spaces that inspired them and so on. 

“Although our styles cannot be more different, coincidences keep happening in our paintings, such as the subject matter. We have a common love for classic works that have influenced us throughout our careers. We must admit that each of us is a prisoner of culture. The art education we have received affects us like a brand, which is reflected in our works without fail.” – Guo Yan 2020

During the year-long collaboration, they each finished a body of work prolifically in their own unique styles as well, which are on view together with the twenty-five pairs of paintings at Lipont Gallery from November 10 – 27, 2020 and virtually at YKLM Auctions App or https://bit.ly/2IC8T3n. 

Fujima Say? – Artistic Director of Vancouver’s TomoeArts – joins forces with Nishikawa Kayo, Artistic Director of Burnaby’s Satsuki-kai, dancers from both companies, and the Dance Centre for an illuminating online presentation of nihon buyoh, or Japanese classical and traditional dance. Ranging from theatrical kabuki to joyful folk-derived pieces and shin-buyoh or ‘new’ dances to popular music, they share some of the styles of nihon buyoh, its rich history and culture, and its distinctive tradition of training, with knowledge handed down from teacher to disciple.

This is an online presentation: ticket buyers will receive a link by email to view anytime during the two-week streaming period.

• Thursday November 26, 2020 | 12 noon PST to Thursday December 10, 2020 | 1PM PST
• Pay what you can: $0/$10/$20
• 50 mins

This year marks VAHMS’ 25th consecutive year celebrating National Asian Heritage Month with the return of explorASIAN Festival in May! We want to share this momentous anniversary with you, our partners and collaborators, by including your Asian Heritage Month events in our 2021 Festival Program. To submit your events, please fill out the form through the link above. Please note that only events happening in and around the month of May are eligible. 

We sincerely appreciate your partnership and look forward to supporting your events!

In honour and celebration of Co.ERASGA’s 20^th anniversary season, the company presents Offering, created by acclaimed choreographer and Artistic Director Alvin Erasga Tolentino. This collection of solo works, performed by 6 of Vancouver’s finest and diverse dancers, aspires to honour the living practice of Dance and Dancing and the challenges of keeping this art-form alive during this extraordinary time of the pandemic crisis and isolation.

How do our bodies relate, move and dance at this critical time of pandemic adversity? In this new creation, Tolentino asks each dancer to explore movement as a form of devotion and prayer –allowing the dance to transcend luminous energy. Each work individually and together as full-evening presentation, Offering becomes a performance ritual, evoking a spiritual reach for a universal interconnect, awareness, and healing for the world.

Co.ERASGA’s 20^th milestone season faces a challenging and unprecedented time of being in the middle of a pandemic, however our intention is to keep dance alive– over the past two decades, along with all of our artists, arts partners and audiences, we dance with gratitude, building and sharing together. More than ever, we rise to the gift and healing power of dance!

Co.ERASGA Dance gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, BC Gaming Commission, the sponsors, donors and all members of Co.ERASGA.

Access their digital program here: Digital Program

Livestream tickets by donation: $5-$30

REEL CANADA is launching a compelling new program to help students and teachers across the country discuss inequality and racism in Canada through film.

The program kicks off with a nation-wide interactive livestream on Black realities, featuring award-winning director Charles Officer in discussion of his acclaimed documentary THE SKIN WE’RE IN. Garvia Bailey will moderate the discussion, in which participating students will submit questions and comments online.

A second livestream will be presented on Dec. 1 focusing on Indigenous Realities. Filmmaker and activist Sarain Fox will discuss her experiences as host of Michelle Latimer’s RISE: STANDING ROCK PART II. Indigenous musician, producer, and educator Ronnie Dean Harris will moderate.

For more information please visit: https://www.reelcanada.ca/black-and-indigenous-realities…/

If you teach high school or want to get your teenager’s school involved, please write to contactus@reelcanada.ca.

The Museum of Vancouver, University of British Columbia, and the Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC are pleased to present the opening of A Seat at the Table, a multi-sited and collaborative exhibition project that explores historical and contemporary stories of Chinese Canadians in BC and their struggles for belonging.

Using food and restaurant culture as entry point, the project highlights stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experiences and of the communities immigrants develop. It also addresses themes of belonging, racism, agency, resilience and reparation as important facets of the complex picture of Chinese migrants and their descendants in the province.

This exhibition explores historical and contemporary stories of Chinese Canadians in BC and their struggles for belonging. It looks to food and restaurant culture as an entry point to feature stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experience and of the communities immigrants develop.

A Seat at the Table is an opportunity to consider the contributions that Chinese migrants and their descendants have made to British Columbia, a province built from the interaction of successive and concurrent waves of migration and uninterrupted occupation by Indigenous peoples.

Restaurants and food offer compelling portals to understanding the Chinese Canadian experience in British Columbia. A close look at the food industry reveals the impact of racial discrimination on Chinese Canadians, but it also tells us much about their ability to resist, organize, seek justice and thrive.

Located in the heart of Chinatown, on the first floor of the Hon Hsing building, this first installment of A Seat at the Table offers a unique encounter with personal stories of Chinese Canadians. These snapshots from people’s lives show how Chinese migrants and their descendants have found ways to earn a living, challenge systemic racism, connect with others, survive and thrive through hope and resilience.

A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia is the inaugural project of the newly established Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC. This temporary exhibition was co-curated by the Museum of Vancouver and University of British Columbia, and supported by the Province of British Columbia and City of Vancouver. Its curatorial features are presented in trilingual English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.

The innovative and unique quality of this living exhibition is that it continues to grow with every visitor. Visitors can choose to share their stories on camera, through in-person interviews, in writing, or simply by placing a marker on a map. These narratives will contribute to the complex and continuing story of Chinese Canadians in British Columbia. As the exhibition travels throughout the province, it will continue to gather and highlight stories from each location around the province.

Today marks the beginning of Diwali, and the team at VAHMS and explorASIAN would like to wish everyone a safe and happy celebration. We’d like to share a statement from the Honourable Bardish Chagger, the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth to mark the occaision:

Today, members of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist communities in Canada will celebrate Diwali—also known as the Festival of Lights.

This celebration marks a time of jubilation, reflection, compassion, and love for the world around us. It represents the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. It is a time when families and loved ones gather to light diyas, pray, share a meal, and exchange gifts. Homes are often decorated with lights and multi-coloured candles for the occasion.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives in many ways and forced us to celebrate differently, which means many traditions and activities will take place virtually. Despite these difficult times, we hope the celebrations will be as special as ever and leave you all with beautiful memories.

I invite all Canadians across the country to participate in Diwali festivities and learn more about the culturally vibrant and diverse Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist communities as well as their outstanding contributions in building an even stronger and consciously more inclusive Canada for everyone.As Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, I wish everyone celebrating Diwali a happy and meaningful festival. Keep well and stay safe.

Kino Sum Productions‘ new documentary Borrowed From Nature explores the rich and complex history of Japanese gardens in western Canada. Through the principles and design philosophy of famed Japanese Canadian designer Roy Tomomichi Sumi, the film explores Japanese gardens in Lethbridge, AB, Vancouver, BC, and New Denver, BC, revealing hidden testaments to an enduring Japanese influence in our country.

It is available on CBC Gem starting November 13, 2020 and will air on CBC TV in BC and Alberta on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.