Understanding Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. It marks the start of the lunar calendar and typically falls between late January and mid-February. In 2025, Chinese New Year will begin on January 29th, ushering in the Year of the Snake. In 2025, Chinese New Year begins on January 29 and welcomes the Year of the Snake. The Legend of the Nian Beast According to Chinese mythology, the origins of Chinese New Year are tied to the Nian , a fearsome beast that would appear at the end of the year to terrorize villages. Food plays a central role in Chinese New Year festivities, with traditional dishes carrying deep symbolic meanings. These culinary traditions bring families together and are believed to bring good fortune for the coming year. Traditional Dishes and Their Symbolism. Chinese New Year meals feature an array of dishes, each with its own significance. Incorporating jade charms, Chinese knots, and paper lanterns into our Chinese New Year activities provides a visual element that sparks curiosity among students. Explaining the symbolism behind these decorations\u2014such as red representing good luck and gold symbolizing prosperity\u2014is a simple way to enrich the lesson. Planning a Chinese New Year celebration is a great way for your class to get to find out all of the fun elements of Chinese New Year, from traditional food to parades and fireworks. Hold a Chinese New Year assembly – introduce the rest of the school to what your pupils have learnt – this is a great opportunity for your pupils to share their Explore 10 Chinese New Year classroom activities. Celebrate the Lunar New Year in your elementary or middle school class with a focus on cultural awareness, symbolism, and more. For this activity, students must understand a tradition for each holiday and be able to draw a symbol related to it. Once they have drawn the symbol, they create a free verse shape poem to tell or explain about that symbol and tradition for the Chinese New Year! This is a fun Chinese New Year craft and makes a great bulletin board, too! How to celebrate Chinese New Year activities with kids. Traditionally, houses are cleaned and decorated with lucky colors, red and gold, for a fresh start to Chinese New Year. In addition, Chinese lanterns and banners have messages of fortune, happiness, wealth, and longevity! Food is also a huge part of Chinese New Year. The specific Chinese New Year dates are for this year and upcoming years are: Chinese New Year 2025: January 29th to February 12th; Chinese New Year 2026: February 17th to March 4th; Dragon Dance. Dancing is an important part of the Chinese New Year and takes place in many shapes and forms. Chinese New Year: Celebrating Chinese New Year: History, Traditions, and Activities – A Holiday Book for Kids by Eugenia Chu is excellent for students to learn about decorations, legends, foods, and festivities. The Year of the Dog (A Pacy Lin Novel) by Grace Lin is a series of middle-grade books based on the author’s childhood. Although 15 Chinese New Year Activities for Kids. Keep the Chinese tradition of cleaning the house before the New Year comes in sounds like a good excuse to get the whole family doing a bit of housework 😉; Read a Book. There are many great books about Chinese New Year and Chinese folk tales to be found. – See more at the bottom of this post Lunar New Year starts with the new moon that happens in late January or February. Celebrations continue for 15 days and culminate with a Lantern Festival. In Chinese culture, 2025 will mark the year of the snake. There are many symbols and traditions associated with Lunar New Year, including special foods, dragon and lion dances, fireworks Tongyan School Lunar New Year Culture Fair February 1, 2 pm – 5 pm Experience the joy and excitement of the Lunar New Year with a variety of cultural performances, traditional foods, crafts, and family-friendly activities. It’s a vibrant celebration of Asian traditions, and a perfect way to ring in the new year with friends and community. What Is Chinese New Year? Chinese New Year is a centuries-old celebration steeped in various customs and traditions. Observed by over 1.5 billion individuals across the globe, it marks the start of the Lunar New Year and serves as an essential tradition uniting Chinese people everywhere. You can learn more about the story of the Chinese zodiac and enjoy free Chinese New Year activities in our activity pack. 12 Activity Ideas to Celebrate the Year of the Snake. In Chinese culture, the number 12 symbolises harmony and completeness – just like the 12 animals in the Zodiac. You should be able to find one near you during the Chinese New Year. Learn More: CBC Canada. 29. Chinese Phrases for the New Year . There are some short and simple phrases you can teach your kids to wish people good luck during the festivities. “Xin Nian Hao” or “Xin Nian Kuai Le” are two phrases meaning “Happy New Year”! This engaging and interactive PowerPoint is designed for primary school lessons and assemblies, introducing children to the vibrant traditions and celebrations of Chinese New Year. It provides age-appropriate content, colourful visuals, and fun activities to help children explore the history, culture, and customs of this special festival. This also doesn’t mean you need to stick to dragon masks or lantern crafts either! Check out these creative preschool activities focused on celebrating Chinese New Year to ensure a fun-filled festive season this year. 1. Chinese New Year Yoga. Yoga is always a fun way to introduce various topics into the preschool environment. There are yoga Facts About Chinese New Year for Kids. Chinese New Year is also known as Lunar New Year and Spring Festival. The date varies each year as it follows the lunar calendar. It begins on the new moon between January 21 and February 20. Chinese New Year 2025 will start on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025. The Chinese New Year marks the commencement of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In Chinese, it is often called the Spring Festival (春節; Chūnjié), as it aligns with the beginning of spring in the lunisolar calendar, coinciding with lichun, the first of the twenty-four solar terms celebrated during the festival.
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