Today in first grade, we had a wonderful guest speaker experience! Grace’s grandparents came in and talked to us all about Chinese New Year! This new year celebration is also called Lunar New Year and it is celebrated in January or February. This year, the first month of the new lunar year starts according to the Chinese calendar on 5 February 2019.
We learned so many interesting things about the customs and traditions that go with Chinese New Year. The Chinese welcome the new year with customs that bring good luck, good fortune, wealth, prosperity and happiness. We learned that Gong Hey Fat Choy (pronounce it as: Gong Hee Faat Choy) means, “wishing you a prosperous new year”. Gifts of money in red packets or envelopes are given out from family members, neighbors, and friends. These gifts symbolize prosperity and happiness. We also learned about the different things that bring the Chinese luck around the New Year! Things in even numbers, the color red, and lighting fire crackers are all ways to bring good luck and fortune! The kids also enjoyed learning what their Chinese Zodiac symbol was and we talked about how this year is the year of the pig. The kids were very excited when they received their own red envelopes with Chinese symbols and fun illustrations representing the year of the pig!