On February 28th the Friends of Lunar New Year will once again host a Lunar New Year party to kick off the start of the Asian New Year.
“This is a going to be a great event,” says Samantha McCall, the chairwoman of the event. “We are so excited to once again bring people from different cultural backgrounds together and have some fun!”
The family-friendly event seeks to educate about the cultural diversity of Asia while offering people a chance to have fun and experience a traditional lion dance live. The lion dance is the highlight of the program. It is traditionally performed by members of martial arts clubs, intended to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck for the coming year.
The Wong People, from a prestigious kung fu studio in Washington DC, will be performing the lion dance and the cai qing—literally translated to plucking the greens. Easton’s mayor, the president of Chesapeake College, along with other local dignitaries will participate in this Asian tradition where they feed two brightly colored lions lettuce. The gold and crimson lions then gobble the lettuce ensuring good luck and fortune for the community in the New Year.
After the entertaining show, people will have a chance to delve deeper into Asian culture by visiting the various booths that will line the walls. “We are really excited about this year’s addition of booths representing a wide array of countries in Asia, like Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan and Japan,” says Andrea Poe, board member of the Lunar New Year Party. “This gives the community an opportunity to learn about just how diverse Asia really is.” The booths will have food, crafts, and calligraphy demonstrations.
One of the most popular features of last year’s event—the sampling of Asian food—will return this year. Many Talbot County restaurants, including In Japan, House of Hunan, U-Sushi, China Buffet and Jin Jin will serve Asian specialties, giving attendees a chance to try different kinds of cuisine from around Asia.”
New this year is the addition of booths geared solely towards adults, focusing on Asian art and design. There will be booths for kids, as well, where those as young as two can try traditional Asian crafts.
One of the more popular booths last year demonstrated the art of calligraphy. This year, the Chinese calligrapher, Raymond Shaw, will expertly show how to write Happy New Year and Good Wishes using traditional Chinese symbols. He will also offer children a chance to have their own names scribed in this ancient version of calligraphy.
The Lunar New Year celebration is the brainchild of floral artist Samantha McCall—who has children from Korea and Vietnam—as well as Betty Huang, a Taiwan native and fine artist who runs Studio B Art Gallery in Easton. McCall had traditionally held a Lunar New Year celebration for family and friends, and one year Huang and her husband performed an impromptu lion dance at the party. It was so enjoyed by all those present, the two Talbot County residents decided to create a community wide event so that all those interested in learning more about Asian culture could do so; last year’s inaugural celebration hosted over 400 people.
The Lunar New Year party is open to the public and begins at 3 PM at the Country School’s Field House. It is sponsored by the non-profit organization, Friends of the Lunar New Year. Tax-deductible donations can be made to support the Lunar New Year celebration through the Mid-Shore Community Foundation.
For more information contact Andrea Poe at 443-298-0510. For current information about the event, visit www.facebook.com/lunarnewyeareaston. For tickets: https://mscf.givezooks.com/events/lunar-new-year-2015
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