Jonathan Chen, 5, of Bangor, worked on a paper dragon Saturday during the Lunar New Year Celebration in Cape Elizabeth. This year is the Year of the Dragon, the only mythical creature of the Chinese zodiac. Bonnie Washuk/Staff Writer

CAPE ELIZABETH — While surrounded by brightly colored decorations at Cape Elizabeth High School on Saturday, Jonathan Chen, 5, of Bangor, focused on creating a paper dragon.

Nearby, others waited in a long line as the aroma of orange chicken, dumplings, fried rice and lo mein filled the cafeteria.

Around the corner, classes were offered about the Chinese language, history, medicine and culture.

And in the auditorium, students from Boston’s Chinese Folk Art Workshop wowed the standing-room-only audience with the dragon dance, in which teams move under huge puppets of the mythical creature, which is revered in Chinese culture and symbolizes good fortune, power and strength. Girls also performed Chinese classical dance with swords and lanterns, and boys showed their skill in beating of the drums.

All this was to welcome the Year of the Dragon at the annual Lunar New Year Celebration, presented by the Chinese and American Friendship Association of Maine.

CAFAM was organized more than 30 years ago by Mainers who were born in China, have Chinese heritage or simply have an interest in the country, board member Ahkau Ng said..

“Some have connections with China,” but others don’t, said Ng, a former president of CAFAM and retired University of Southern Maine professor. Ng was born and raised in Malaysia, where the Lunar New Year is a huge celebration, just as it is in China, the Koreas and Vietnam, he said.

The goal of the annual celebration, and of the organization in Maine, is to promote understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture, Ng said.

Barry Jackson, of Saco, is one of those who has interest.

After he retired from his job as a Spanish professor, Jackson lived in China for four years to teach and learn.

“I studied Chinese in the morning and taught English in the afternoons,” he said. “I was so well treated in China that when I returned to Maine, I joined CAFAM because I felt I owed something.”

Living in China was “the most welcoming situation I had ever been in,” Jackson said, with his friends dining together often and making sure he had interesting things to do. “It was such a wonderful four years.”

CAFAM President Bob Poole, of Cumberland, said he joined the association because he, too, loves the country and culture.

“I wanted to be Chinese, but my mother messed up,” Poole joked.

He remembers that as a young student, he was fascinated while watching President Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China on television. Nixon’s visit ended 25 years of isolation between the United States and China.

Students from the Chinese Folk Art Workshop of Boston drum on Saturday. Bonnie Washuk/Staff Writer

Poole studied Chinese in college, and later he worked for New York banks with Chinese specialists. He also lived in China for 12 years.

The CAFAM group “is nice,” Poole said. “It’s nongovernmental. It’s local. Its purpose is culture. We find that when people touch Chinese culture, they like it, they enjoy it, they want to learn more. If they visit China, they love it. It is a fascinating place.”

Those who attended Saturday were of all ages, from toddlers to older adults. Many were Chinese American, but many others were not.

Diane Chiaradonna, of Sanford, said she enjoyed a lecture about the country’s history, culture and politics.

Nelson Fu and his wife, Claire Smaldon, both of South Portland, brought their daughter, Amelia Mei, 3, who was dressed in a vivid red Chinese jacket.

From left, Nelson Fu; his wife, Claire Smaldon; and their daughter, Amelia, 3, all of South Portland, attend Saturday’s Lunar New Year Celebration. As the parents of a Chinese American daughter, the couple said they were pleased to get the chance to expose their daughter to the country’s culture. Bonnie Washuk/Staff Writer

Fu, who has Chinese heritage, said he used to attend large Lunar New Year celebrations in New York, where there are large Chinese American communities.

So, it’s nice to have a celebration in Maine, he said.

“She’s proudly half Chinese,” Smaldon said of their daughter. “We’re here to celebrate.”