A Massachusetts-based agency is hosting its first winter holiday celebration next month, and the community is invited.
The Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, known as ATASK, has been around in Massachusetts for more than 30 years, according to Director of Development Rebekah Bodden. The organization, which has staff speaking more than 23 different Asian languages, primarily focuses on helping empower Asian survivors of domestic violence.
“There’s a lot of domestic violence agencies in Massachusetts … but we’re one of the few that focuses on the pan-Asian community,” said Bodden.
On Sunday, Dec. 8, the organization is hosting its Asian Winter Holiday Celebration, bringing together holidays and traditions from across Asia. The event will take place at the Powers Music School at 160 Lexington St. from 2 to 4 p.m.
“We generally do a signature event once a year around October, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month – it’s a big gala – but outside of that, we’ve had ideas to do more events,” Bodden said. “That’s kind of how this program or event came up. In Massachusetts, there’s a lot of events that happen around the Lunar New Year, or South Asians doing things around Diwali. There’s not really anything celebrating winter.”
The event will feature nearly a dozen performances by music and dance groups around the region, including Bollywood Beats, the Cambridge Chinese Choral Society, and the Iskwelahang Pilipino Dance Group.
Bodden said she is looking forward to the variety of representations the most.
“We had this idea and we just reached out to our supporters and people in the community doing their own cultural engagement work with the local communities. So, to see the response — we’re up to 12 different performances — when we started, we were not sure who we were going to get.”
In addition to entertainment, food and drinks will be available for purchase, she said. There will be four vendors covering different cultural winter cuisines.
Otherwise, the event is free.
“Since this is our first event, raising funds is great, but it’s also just a way for people to get to know us,” Bodden said. “It’s celebrating Asian cultures but also spreading awareness about our work, both for those who might need our services … and for future supporters, in some way.”
The event is open to the public, and all ages are welcome.