AISG Rings in the Chinese New Year

In China, New Year or Spring Festival, is one of the most important holidays in China. Originally tied the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, the holiday celebrates deities and ancestors, bringing families together. After China started using the Western calendar in 1912, China started celebrating January 1 as New Year’s Day as well as the Spring Festival. Although the day changes every year, the Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 20.

As an international school based in China, AISG celebrates the Chinese New Year by putting on exciting performances in the gymnasium. This year, many of the Chinese classes will also be performing Chinese songs and dances. In addition, it is part of AISG tradition to invite professional lion dancers to come to the school and give students a taste of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations and activities, including showing off their difficult moves like climbing up ladders, jumping, and running around. The lion even eats lettuce and red envelopes, then scatter lettuce leaves to symbolize a fresh start for the new year. The lion dancers also walk around the hallways of the school, meaning to chase away bad spirits and spread good luck.