• Courtesy Of Tsering Yangkyi Cummings
• Women at the Tibetan Festival

Hundreds of people packed a community center this month in Burlington's Old North End. Colorful prayer flags crisscrossed overhead, and the smell of freshly steamed momos wafted through the air.

Onstage, two dancers wearing snow leopard masks crept forward, beckoned by the shrill whistle of a wooden flute. The 19th annual Tibetan Festival was under way.

"We take this as an opportunity to share with our neighbors a glimpse of our rich and ancient culture," said Tsering Yangkyi Cummings, president of the Tibetan Association of Vermont.

This year's event had another aim, as well: to raise money to build a community center. It's been the association's North Star for the past few years as the Tibetan population in Chittenden County has grown to about 160 people today.

The volunteer-run Tibetan Association, which was created in 1993, organizes cultural events throughout the year. In February, the association hosts a festival for Losar, the Tibetan New Year, and in March, it celebrates the Dalai Lama's birthday. In the summer, volunteers run a Tibetan summer camp, and during the school year, the association offers Tibetan language classes for youths.

"It's very challenging not having our own space," Cummings said. "Our community ends up scattered in different places." Cummings has toured a few potential locations, but with the rising cost of real estate, purchasing a building seems out of reach.

The November 11 festival certainly helped the cause. The association raised $18,000 as some 1,200 people circulated through the community center. While the event was free to the public, volunteers sold food, raffle tickets and artisanal goods.

The festival is a labor of love, requiring months of dance rehearsals, hours of planning and thousands of momos, prepared by hand the weekend before.

For Cummings, it's worth it: "This is where our community comes together, working towards one goal."