Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy New Year!
In China, the New Year is the most important holiday of the year. It's a time for families to come together and celebrate. People enjoy eating traditional foods, watching fireworks, and going to parades.
When is the Chinese New Year?
In 2020, the Chinese lunar year will start on January 25th and end on February 11th, 2021. The Chinese New Year starts on a different day each year because it is based on a lunar calendar.
Each year starts on the new moon that occurs between the end of January and the end of February.
Celebrations run for approximately two weeks, from the first day of the year until the next full moon.
New Year's festivities end with the Lantern Festival.
The Chinese lunar calendar has been in use since the Shang Dynasty during the 14th century B.C. Even though China adopted the Western calendar in 1912, the Chinese New Year is still observed as a cultural celebration.
Chinese New Year's Activities for Kids
The New Year is the perfect opportunity to introduce Chinese culture and the Mandarin language to your kids. The great part about a celebration that lasts for two weeks is that you'll have the chance to do several activities.
Watch a Parade
Many larger cities hold Chinese New Year's celebrations. San Francisco and New York City are famous for their parades. If you can attend a parade, it will be an experience you and your child won't soon forget! If you can't be there in person, check your TV schedule or live stream a parade.
If there aren't any Chinese New Year's celebrations near you, there are still plenty of ways you can celebrate right at home.
Eat a Traditional Meal
Dumplings are a traditional Chinese New Year food. Making them from scratch requires a bit of prep work, but they are so tasty! Get the family together and make this kid-friendly Chinese dumpling recipe. Young children can help by mixing and rolling the dough.
If your family doesn't eat pork, you can substitute ground chicken or crumbled tofu.
Serve with soy sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
For extra fun, try eating with chopsticks. You might be surprised at how well your children do! If traditional chopsticks are intimidating, purchase a "beginner" pair. These chopsticks are made of plastic and are joined at one end.
Get Crafty
Preschoolers love making crafts. It allows them to be creative and spend time with their caregivers. Crafts are also beneficial because using scissors and coloring gives kids a chance to develop their fine motor skills.
Lanterns are a traditional New Year's decoration. Using craft supplies you probably already have at home, you can help your child create this Chinese lantern. Children can make them in their favorite color, or go with the traditional red.
Dragons are a symbol of good luck. Chinese New Year's parades feature dancing dragon puppets. The puppets are so large, they are operated by several people. Create your own good luck by making a smaller dragon puppet out of wooden spoons and ribbons. Your child can dance around the house with their new puppet.
Give Gifts
A traditional New Year's gift for children is a red envelope containing money.
You can surprise your children with this gift, or opt to have them decorate their own envelope.
Depending on your child's age, you can give them real money and coins, or play money.
Gifting red envelopes is an ancient tradition, but the origin is somewhat unknown. One legend states that an orphan defeated a demon that was terrorizing a village. As a show of thanks, the elders gave the child a red envelope full of money.
Learn about Chinese Zodiac Animals
Like the American zodiac, the Chinese zodiac has 12 signs.
However, the Chinese zodiac is based on a 12 year, and not a 12 month, cycle.
The year your child was born determines their zodiac animal.
The rat is the zodiac animal for 2020. You can celebrate by making a cute rat finger puppet.
Read a Book
Visit your local library and check out books about China and Chinese culture. The author Grace Lin has several picture books that are appropriate for preschoolers:
Dim Sum for Everyone
Bringing in the New Year
Fortune Cookie Fortunes
Ask your librarian if they have other book suggestions.
Clean Your Home
Cleaning the home is a traditional way to prepare for the Chinese New Year's. While it is a chore, you can still make it fun. Young children love to mimic the activities they see you doing.
They can sweep with a small handheld broom and dustpan, or dust with a cloth lightly dampened with water.
Celebrate with Indoor "Fireworks"
Fireworks are a traditional way to celebrate, but there's a safer way to have noise and colors.
Fill balloons with glitter or confetti before blowing them up. You or another adult can then pop them with a pin. If your child is adventurous, they can try to pop the balloons by sitting on them.
If loud noises scare your child, make DIY confetti throwers.
Learn Mandarin Words
The Chinese New Year is the perfect time to teach your kids some Mandarin words. You can use these words as a starting point:
Rat = Shǔ
Red = Hóngsè
Dragon = Lóng
Lantern = Dēnglóng
Are you and your child ready to learn more Mandarin?
The Little Pim Difference
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Unlinked Sources:
https://www.littlepim.com/choose-a-language
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/chinese-new-year-2020-when-date-what-rats-meaning-zodiac/