Lunar New Year- EWHS students
Asian cultural exploration at EWHS Mandarin Chinese class
Posted on 02/10/2021
Happy New Year 2021! And Happy niú Year! Do you know Ox in Chinese is niú, which sounds very similar to “new” in English? Well, the coming Lunar New Year is the year of the Ox! Lunar New Year is the most popular holiday to celebrate family togetherness in most Asian countries, such as China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Edmonds-Woodway High teacher (Christine) Hong Chi has gathered some thoughts from students enrolled in Mandarin Chinese courses. Every year, the Chinese language classes host a Lunar New Year class party. Why do they like this cultural experience so much?
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“I have enjoyed a lot of cultural exploration activities in our Mandarin Chinese class, like watching traditional Chinese lion dance and dragon dance performances, Kung Fu shows, Chinese face-changing opera, and traditional Chinese instruments like the Erhu, Pipa, and Guzheng.”
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“We get to try many Asian snacks and tea including Bubble tea.”
Lunar New Year celebrations also help students find connection with their family heritage culture.
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“The way LNY is celebrated in China is very similar to how we celebrate in Vietnam, but some zodiac animals are different. In Vietnamese tradition, the rabbit and ox are replaced with the cat and buffalo.”
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“There is a celebration that looks similar to the LNY that is celebrated in my culture, known as the Carnival de San Miguel, a city in El Salvador.”
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“I also received a Hongbao this year because my family, even though they are of European descent, wanted to integrate Chinese culture more into my life.”
Hong Chi and her students have created a resource website for students and families. Check it out:
https://sites.google.com/edmonds15.org/ewhslny/home