Bring On The Festivities!

Chinese New Year is the festival in China that celebrates the new year on the original Chinese calendar. It is usually called the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival in China. This festival is also related to the twelve Chinese zodiac signs. It is said that each year belongs to one of the twelve zodiac animals. The zodiac animal for 2020 is the rat, and the 2020 Chinese New Year will be on January 25.

The date of each year’s Chinese new year is different. In China’s tradition, the Lunar New Year’s date varies between 21 January to 20 February. This is because it is believed that the new moon comes out within this time frame.

As the most important holiday in China, the origin of the Lunar New Year goes back to thousands of years ago. There are also many Chinese poems about this festival and its meanings. The Lunar New Year became a symbol for the reunion of families in China and it also represents the harmonious and unity among families. In this festival, lots of people go back to their hometowns to unite with their families and friends. Foreign workers would also get the chance to use this festival as a break and visit their families that live far away.

In AISG, we have a two-week-vacation for this traditional Chinese holiday, and a school wide event for the celebration of this festival. The National Chinese Honor Society is in charge of hosting an event that combines many activities, such as a traditional lion dance and many small games related to the Chinese tradition in our school to celebrate the festival. As tradition, this event will take place on the Friday before vacation begins. Queenie Tse, a member of the current NCHS, stated that “the activities that are set up should be really interesting.” On the other hand, Roy Shi, a junior at AISG remarked that he has always enjoyed the event hosted before the break. He said that “it allows everyone to have a relaxing start to the vacation.” The AISG break for the Chinese New Year will last from January 18 to February 2.

Other traditions during this festival include parents giving red pockets filled with money, which is very special for this specific festival. Ms. Zhu, a Chinese teacher who has taught at AISG for three years claimed that “traveling with friends and reuniting with relatives” is what she does during this festival break. Ms. Zhu also mentioned that she “spends time with family members such as the elders.”

At last, we hope everyone can enjoy this wonderful traditional holiday in China and relax during their break.