TL;DR:
- Lunar New Year is on February 1st this year. It symbolizes the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
- Learn how to celebrate this holiday in this classroom within each subject area.
Lunar New Year
This year, Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday, February 1. What is Lunar New Year, you may ask? Well, if you’re not familiar with this celebration, it’s a major holiday in China, also called the Korean New Year and celebrated in Singapore as well.
Food and Flowers to Commemorate Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year symbolizes the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Flowers that are often associated with the New Year are orchids (symbolizing nobility), peonies (peace and prosperity), and narcissus (good luck). As usual, during holidays, people tend to consume a variety of foods to celebrate, such as dumplings, rice cakes, noodles, fruit, spring rolls, and fish. These foods are often steamed to perfection and the savory items are served with soy sauce. Subsequently, oranges and tangerines are especially popular because the color orange is meant to bring wealth.
Lunar New Year symbolizes the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Click To TweetHow Long Do the Festivities Last?
2022 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger and the Chinese New Year has 16 days of celebrations. The last day of the festivities ends with the Lantern Festival on February 15. You may wonder how you can celebrate Chinese New Year in your class. Here are some ideas:
- Celebrate Lunar New Year by throwing a party. Check out some ideas here.
- Scholastic has ideas for how you can make puppets, perform dragon dances, make door signs, and more with elementary-aged students.
- At the secondary level, you could hold an assembly where students of Chinese or Korean heritage share their experiences celebrating Lunar New Year.
- In art class, students can learn the Chinese paper cutting technique to make animals. Traditionally, one uses thin, red paper for this activity as red symbolizes happiness.
- In science class, students can do STEM activities that tie into Lunar New Year celebrations. Check those out here!
- Students at all levels can learn and practice calligraphy to write messages of happiness and prosperity.
You don’t have to teach Chinese or art to incorporate Lunar New Year celebrations into your class. Help your students learn about traditions celebrated around the world, allow them to learn more about their neighbors in the community, and connect with their friends and family members.
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Share What You Do in February!
Whether this is the first year you’re celebrating Lunar New Year with your students or you tend to celebrate it every year, please share pictures of any of these activities you do in February! Tweet me @danagoodier and @teachbetterteam and use the hashtags #TBBlogger and #LunarNewYearCelebrations
References:
Lunar New Year Symbols and Significance
A Guide to Celebrating Chinese New Year in Class
About Dana Goodier
Dr. Dana Goodier has 20 years of experience in education. She has taught World Languages and English and worked as a middle school administrator. She completed her doctorate degree (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership early 2020. For her dissertation, she researched reasons parents were opting their students out of high-stakes testing at middle schools and how that affected the district accreditation rating. She often speaks at conferences, providing educators with techniques to minimize off-task behavior and to increase time on task. She is the host of the “Out of the Trenches” podcast, which features educators who share their stories of resiliency. Follow her on Twitter @danagoodier and visit her website at: www.danagoodier.com
