The Chinese & American
 Friendship Association of Maine

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The Year of The Tiger

Celebrations and Events!

Chinese culture is rich with celebrations. The more important ones include Chinese New Year in January or February, which culminates with the Lantern Festival, the Qingming or “Pure Brightness” Festival in April for sweeping ancestors’ graves, the summer Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival. There are many websites that contain information about these and other festivals. Here’s one. Here’s another.

CAFAM Special Celebrations & Events

CAFAM sponsors three main events during the year:
Chinese New Year Celebration.\,
Mid-Autumn Festival Potluck, and
Summer Potluck and Annual Meeting.

2010 Chinese Moon Festival

CAFAM and friends will be celebrating the Moon Festival on September 26, 2010 at Woodford's church, 202 Woodford Street, Portland, Maine

The event will be from 4 pm to 8 pm

Beautiful Chinese poem

"Thinking of You"

When will the moon be clear and bright?
With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky
I don't know what season it would be
In the heavens on this night
I'd like to ride the wind to fly home
Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are
Much too high and cold for me
Dancing with my moon-lit shadow
It does not seem like the human world

The moon rounds the red mansion
Stoops to silk-pad doors
Shines upon the sleepless
Bearing no grudge
Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?
People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart
The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane
This has been going on since the beginning of time
May we all be blessed with longevity
Though far apart, we are still able to
share the beauty
of the moon together.

On the Mid Autumn Moon Festival of the year 1076,
I drank happily till dawn
and wrote this in my cups
while thinking of my brother Ziyou

- Su Shi (Su Dong Po) 1076 A.D.
(Translation by Li Shun-Yi in 1998)

Portland Chamber Music Festival Concert a Great Success

CAFAM sponsored Professor ChenYi to come to Portland to present her piece "Happy Rain on a Spring Evening". Professor ChenYi was interviewed both by Elliot Schwarz, a well known, and mature composer, and Suzanne Nance of Maine Public Radio. She was jubulent and expressive during both interviews. She said that she named her piece "Happy Rain on a Spring Evening" after a very old Chinese poem. She used the natural tones of the Chinese poem to inspire the tones in her piece and she used the different moods of the poem to influence the tempo of the music. The piece started slowly, as the beginning of a spring shower, then increased in pace, as the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance. By the end, a full blown thunder storm had invaded the auditorium. It is a wonder that we all did not get wet! She also touched on the hard labor that her family and she were forced to endure during the cultural revolution. Fortunately, after two years, the Chinese authorities plucked her out of the work camps to play music with the national orchestra.

Baseball Fever!

The Seadogs fell to the Harrisburg Senators
on Friday, July 23, 2010. However, it was at times, an exciting game.
Ray Chang and Chih-Hsien Chang made some great plays. There was an exciting Seadog rally with 2 outs in the 9th inning. However, t he Seadogs could not prevail, and the Senators won 7 to 5.

Ongoing and Occasional Activities

CAFAM Board of Directors. Meets the 2nd Thursday of each month (except June, July, and August) at 6:30pm, 103 Hanover Street in Portland. All members welcome. For agenda, contact Board Chair Patti Oldmixon.

Mandarin Round Table. Meets every other Friday, from noon to 1:00pm, at the CIEE, 300 Fore Street, Portland, second floor. Intermediate and advanced Chinese informal discussion. All are welcome. For schedule and information contact Suzanne Fox.

Occasional Events. From time to time special China-related events, talks, performances, etc. will be posted here.