So begins the Year of the Dragon, as we enter 2024 in the Lunar Calendar. LCCC celebrated Lunar New Year, one of the biggest and most important events in Chinese culture, by embracing different Chinese traditions in our classrooms. It's a several day event, with celebrations beginning on February 9th for New Years Eve, and concluding on the 15th day of the New Year. This is because Lunar New Year aligns with the moon cycle. A new year begins when the New Moon arrives usually sometime between the end of January and the end of February and celebrations continue until the moon is full. Upon the arrival of the Full Moon, the Festival of Lanterns begins. Here are some things our classrooms did to celebrate:
Dragons & Red Shirts
Our educators brought different significant elements of the Chinese culture into their classrooms to help scaffold the children's understanding of Chinese New Year and the history behind it. Many classrooms created dragons and red shirts, both important parts of the Chinese culture. As 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, children created their own interpretation of what a dragon looks like, to represent power, good fortune and strength for the year to come. The colour red is widely seen throughout the duration of Chinese New Year celebrations, as it represents vitality and good luck.
Lanterns & Moons
Another way that our classrooms learned about Chinese New Year was through the creation of lanterns & moons, both culturally significant. Lanterns are displayed surrounding homes and lining the streets throughout the duration of Chinese New Year to bring wealth, prosperity health and guide spirits back home. Classrooms also created moons in different phases, a great opportunity for children to understand shapes through a creative medium, and how different moon phases mean the circle shape in different forms. The significance of this, shows the beginning and end of the Chinese New Year celebrations, from the start of the New Moon, until the end with a Full Moon.
It's so important for our classrooms to acknowledge all different holidays and festivals throughout the year, so each child, family and staff member feels represented, welcomed and celebrated. Something we will continue to strive for at LCCC, always.