Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year

As part of our ongoing SMSC curriculum, the children have been learning about Chinese New Year. This year, Chinese New Year officially begins on January 25th and ends on February 4^th and is the year of the RAT. Chinese New Year is worked out according to the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar which depends on the movements of the Sun and Moon. It is said that Chinese New Year started in ancient times, when the Chinese people were hounded by a mythical beast called the ‘Nian’. The Nian would visit every New Year’s Day to gobble up all their livestock, crops and even people!

Scared and tormented, the villagers left food outside their houses for the Nian, in the hope that it would leave them be once it was fed. One day, the villagers noticed that the Nian was afraid of nothing but a small child wearing the colour red. From that day on, red lanterns, firecrackers and scrolls were used to frighten the Nian away and it never came back!

During Chinese New Year, dragon dances are performed to scare away evil spirits. Dancers carry a long paper dragon held up on poles and raise the dragon up and down. These dances can be performed during the day or at night.