Ethnic Cleveland eNews
May 16, 2023
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It’s a little earlier this year (as is Memorial Day) but to me this is the festival that kicks off the summer. Some of my favorite people are coordinators and they do a great job. (Most of CAF Exec Board below - Wayne Wong, Mike Mendoza, Oahn Loi-Powell, Lisa Wong and Johnny Wu) I’ve volunteered and attended every Cleveland Asian Festival (CAF) since the first in 2010 and it is always a blast.
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The Cleveland Asian Festival highlights Cleveland’s AsiaTown, Diversity, and Asian Culture in Northeast Ohio. The mission of CAF has remained the same over the years:
• Strengthening the identity of AsiaTown and supporting its economic growth
• Educating and promoting Asian culture and traditions
• Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Cleveland’s Diversity
• Uniting Cleveland’s Asian Community
Surveys have shown that a large percentage of attendees use CAF as a springboard to future visits to AsiaTown shops and restaurants. CAF has led to the creation of new businesses in the area as well as neighborhood beautification with arts and cultural displays and decorations throughout the district.
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CAF offers Free Admission and Free Parking with Free shuttle bus rides to and from the festival. There is live entertainment including Cultural Performances and demonstrations on two outdoor stages, a World Marketplace of 100+ vendors and exhibitors, 20+ food vendors and food trucks, and caterers offering authentic Asian cuisines.
Free health screenings are available at the Health Pavilion inside Asia Plaza. Expect other free activities, games, the new CAF Trivia competition and the popular Asian Pop Dance Competition.
In addition, CAF planners are implementing a near zero waste environment for the festival.
It’s easy to get to, easy to park and completely safe. There is a substantial police presence but I have never seen any problems in 14 years.
If you have never been, I’d recommend coming on Saturday at 11:30 to see the kickoff act – the Kwan Family Lion Dance Team (photo below). You can see the entire schedule and more at the website.
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I know I have written about my favorite Finnish word before – Sisu. It’s more than a word, it’s a concept. Sisu is a Finnish concept described as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness.
It is held by Finns themselves to express their national character. It is generally considered not to have a literal equivalent in English (tenacity, grit, resilience and hardiness are much the same things, but do not necessarily imply stoicism or bravery).
See more in the Fun with Maps episode about Finland (video below)
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I just learned a new word that is now one of my favorite Greek words – Philotimo. It translates to "love of honor" but is more than that.
These two proud Greek-Americans, Demetrios Anagnostos and Lou Frangos, (photo below) said it is almost impossible to translate sufficiently as it describes a complex array of virtues. Wikipedia says that in its simplest form, the term means conscientiously honoring one's responsibilities and duties, and not allowing one's honor, dignity, and pride to be sullied.
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Here are a few other non-English terms that are very descriptive and not 100% translatable.
L’esprit De L’escalier (French) translates to the spirit of the stairs but means when you leave a conversation thinking about everything you could have said.
Wabi-Sabi (Japanese) is often described as a beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Plus it’s just fun to say.
Saudade (Portuguese) is a nostalgic state of longing for something or someone absent.
Livsnjutare (Swedish) is someone who enjoys life and lives life to the extreme.
Toska (Russian) is when you feel that something is missing and you know that something is missing, but you don’t know what exactly it is and it leaves you frustrated.
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Blast from the Past – Martial Arts at Cleveland Asian Festival
Along with musical and dance performances, the Cleveland Asian Festival also showcases martial arts. Here are two short videos from the 2012 CAF. The first is just 49 seconds and it shows two members of Team KIXXX from the Mentor Institute of Karate breaking stacks of wood using karate.
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This second video features about a minute of some wicked martial arts moves from a young man from the Karate Institute.
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As always there is more information, links and schedule changes (weather cancellations, etc.) on the Calendar of Events.
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World Bee Day Field Trip
Friday May 19
10 AM - 2 PM
Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds
Did you know that Slovenia has the most beekeepers per capita in the world? The initiative to declare May 20th as World Bee Day came from Slovenia, and the date that was selected was the birthday of the great bee expert from the 18th century, Anton Janša.
Janša was the first bee-keeping teacher in the court of the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa. By introducing bee-keeping methods that were successfully used by Carniolan bee-keepers, he caused a real revolution in bee-keeping of the time.
Did you know that every third spoonful of food in the world depends on pollination? For a kilogram of honey, a bee must visit 4 million flowers and fly a distance equal to four times around the world. Learn more at this event.
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British American Chamber of Commerce's Link Club
Friday May 19
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
RJF Presidents' Club at Playhouse Square
1501 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115
You have probably heard about the Royal Albert Hall in London. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage.
I think I first heard of it in the Beatles song "A Day in the Life" from the Sgt. Pepper’s album. (I read the news today, oh boy… now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall…) Now there is a Cleveland connection.
Join the British American Chamber of Commerce's Link Club this Friday as we warmly welcome Craig Hassall from the Royal Albert Hall (photo below) to Cleveland as he undertakes the role of President and Chief Executive Officer. Craig has held senior roles in performing arts management at some of the world’s most recognizable venues, events and organizations.
He now heads one of North America’s top performing arts centers in Playhouse Square, which is the second largest performing arts center in the United States with 11 performance spaces. Craig will discuss the vision and future of Playhouse Square and its economic impact to Northeast Ohio. Please note that complimentary parking at the Playhouse Square Parking Garage located at 1450 Chester Ave is included in the ticket price.
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CCWA Birthday
Friday May 19
9 AM - 5 PM
12 Huron Road E, Suite 620 Cleveland
CCWA is commemorating its centennial year with a very special birthday party: CCWA's Centennial Open House and Day of Giving. On May 19, please consider making a birthday donation to CCWA. Then, head to their office for some cake, balloons, and international birthday songs!
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Cleveland Asian Festival
Saturday May 20 and Sunday May 21
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ICC-WIN Summit
Saturday May 20
9:30 – Noon
Cuyahoga County Library - Parma Snow Branch
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Mother's Bollywood Night
Saturday May 20
5 PM
Lotus Banquets - North Olmsted
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Norwegian Constitution Day
Sunday May 21
1 - 4 PM
Fairview Park Rec Center
21255 Lorain Rd Fairview Park
Constitution Day is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to as Syttende Mai ("Seventeenth of May") or Nasjonaldagen ("National Day"). The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17, 1814 which declared Norway to be an independent kingdom in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark–Norway's devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars. This established a Union between Sweden and Norway.
Say 'Gratulerer med dagen' to your Norwegian friends. That's how Norwegians greet each other on the day. This can be roughly translated as 'Congratulations on this special day'. Fun fact - It also means 'Happy birthday'.
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Rube Goldberg Launch Event
Wednesday May 24
6 - 9 PM
Maltz Museum
2929 Richmond Rd. Beachwood
Created by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in partnership with the Heirs of Rube Goldberg, Rube Goldberg™: The World of Hilarious Invention! Exhibit (on view May 24 – August 27, 2023) showcases Pulitzer Prize winning humorist and inventor Rube Goldberg’s iconic contraptions and celebrates his humorous storytelling and inventive cartoons.
Inspired by Rube’s original illustrations, the exhibit contains a collection of new 3D, life-size machines and hands-on, interactive components that connect Rube’s iconic cartoon contraptions to the way things work in the physical world. These experiences provide insight into the legacy of Rube Goldberg and how classic engineering principles can be reimagined as entry points for deeper exploration of STEAM concepts for 21st century learning.
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Pundemics
I pulled a nose hair out today just to see if it hurt. Judging from the screams of the guy asleep on the bus next to me, it does!
The couple went to marriage counseling after decades of marriage. The man said, “For the last 40 years all you’ve done is find mistakes in everything I say.” The woman replied, “41 years.”
I finally found a diet plan that really works. It’s called “The price of food!”
You know you’ve grown up when a nap is no longer a punishment but a reward.
The Institute of Unfinished Research has concluded that 6 out of 10 people
Ba da dum
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Postscript: If you have any questions about attending CAF, email me back. You will be glad if you go. The weather forecast looks good!
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