Farewell to the Year of the Tiger
and Greetings to the Year of Rabbit
XLIS Primary School Mandarin Department
Activities for 2023 Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration
As we get closer to the Spring Festival and the snow flakes begin to gently fall, we are reminded that all things will start anew once more. With the Year of the Rabbit around the corner, the XLIS Primary School Mandarin Department conducted the aptly named “Happy Rabbit in Spring” Garden Party in celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year. This event aimed at observing the local New Year celebrations as an important vessel for the dissemination of Chinese culture and to cultivate our students’ understanding of Chinese traditions. During this activity, the primary students not only enjoyed exploring Chinese traditional culture and an art exhibition, but also chose their favorite Chinese traditional art forms by participating in traditional arts and crafts activities. The entire XLIS community contributed to the lively and festive ambiance of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations.
Adding color and glamour to the festivities, our primary students dressed up for the occasion. With entrance tickets in hand, they were led by their teachers to the Mandarin classroom wing. Their visit started off at the exhibition of traditional Chinese art works which included Chinese paper cutting and dough sculptures, among many other exciting activities. Through engaging and colorful traditional Chinese art works, children nurtured their curiosity while marveling at the intricate beauty of Chinese arts.
Furthermore, students were given access to various Mandarin classrooms to experience more handcrafts activities. After listening to the folk artists’ specific instructions, students began making their own creations. One of the popular themes revolved around rabbits, the symbolic Chinese Lunar New Year animal for 2023. Students learned to cut exquisite and beautiful paper cutting designs, in addition to many other lovely dough animals. One of the most popular art forms for students was sugar painting, which provided students with an opportunity to observe the exquisite skills of our guest folk artists.
Also, our students learned about a variety of local traditions related to Chinese Lunar New Year. They were not only interested in lantern riddles, but also showed interest in the most popular games, some of which included a game of ring toss, pitcher, and more. It was truly exciting to see our students enjoying the games and having a great cultural experience. Happy faces were seen as these games enabled them to learn more about Chinese culture while having fun. When the time came to their prizes, the enthusiasm of all participants was palpable.
One of the highlights of this celebration was that each student created a greeting card for the Chinese Lunar New Year, some of which were nominated in the ACAMIS 2022 National CNY Card Competition! The designs of their cards were truly unique. We are proud to admit that this was a one-of-a-kind opportunity to share Chinese culture with the community and beyond!
The beginning of the Lunar New Year marks a brand-new chapter in our learning journeys. We wish all students at XLIS to be surrounded by happiness, peace, and joy, and welcome a prosperous 2023 Spring season!
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Author:
Nancy Jing (Head of Primary Chinese Language)
