1. 春节：介绍 2. 写红包信 3. Project Project: finish writing your script (group), Skritter

2 月 9 号 : 春节 (chūnjié=Spring Festival) ：介绍1. 春节：介绍2. 写红包信3. Project

Project: finish writing your script (group), Skritter

春 节Chūnjié=Spring Festival

First day of Spring…

今年 =February 19, 2015

Chinese Lunar Calendar

春节 (chūnjié)The Lunar New Year, also called the Spring

Festival, is the most important holiday for the Chinese people everywhere.

Basically, CHRISTMAS + THANKSGIVING + NEW YEAR’S DAY in one holiday

New Year's Day usually falls on the day of the second new moon

The New Year is celebrated with firecrackers, dragon dances and visits to friends and family. It lasts for 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival.

Year of the Goat: 羊年 (yángnián)The Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle

with each year represented by an animal. February 19, 2015 marks the start of the Year of the Goat/Sheep.

In Chinese astrology people born in the Year of the Goat are described as “kind” and “popular”…thought to love peace and to be helpful and trusting, but yet also to be “clinging” and of a nature resistant to change. (Wikipedia)

CustomsThe entire house should be cleaned

before New Year's Day. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's Day otherwise good fortune will be swept away.

不“吉利” (jílì=auspicious/fortune).

Sharp objects should be put away otherwise they will “cut” the luck.

All men and boys should get a haircut.

Families paste scrolls of lucky sayings on their front doors. These are called “chun lian”( 春联 )

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

DecorationChūn lián

春 联 Spring couplet

A symbol of “Spring” (chún= 春 ) is often hung upside down over the door. It means “Spring has arrived” ( 春到了 )

Also ： fortune ( 福 =fú) has arrived …（福到了 = 福倒 (dǎo=upside down) 了）

On New Year’s day itself the whole family sits down to have a huge dinner together.

An important dish is steamed dumplings. The dumplings are shaped like gold ingots and symbolize wealth.

A kind of sticky rice cake called “nian gao” is also popular. It symbolizes the wish for “yearly advancement”.

Pomelos, kumquats and oranges symbolizegood luck and prosperity and are often given as

gifts on Chinese new year.

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

Special Foodjiǎozi

饺子 Chinese dumpling

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

Special Food

Nián gāo

年 糕New year’s rice cake

Children receive gifts of lucky money called “hong bao” 红包 (hóngbāo)

拜年 (bàinián=pay new year’s call [to elders])

Shooting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

Entertainment

Biān pào

鞭炮 fireworks

Yān huā

烟花 firecrackers

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

Red clothing is preferred on New Year’s Day. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

Decoration

Jiǎn zhĭ 剪 纸 papercuts

In Chinatown you can see the lively dragon and lion dances

The traditional Lion Dance is performed with two people in a lion’s costume. It is accompanied by drums, gongs and cymbals.

Click to see a lion dance

In a Dragon Dance, a team of people carry the dragon on poles.

Click here to see a Chinese New Year dragon dance

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

EntertainmentWŭ lóng

舞 龙 dragon dance

Wŭ shī 舞 狮lion dance

The Chinese new year celebrations end on the 15th day of the first moon with the Lantern Festival 元宵节 yuánxiāojié.

On this day brightly lit lanterns are paraded through the streets.

And floated upon the water

Many lanterns have riddles hidden in them.

People eat a kind of sweet dessert called 元宵 yuánxiao.

Go to this site to learn a Chinese New Year Song:

GongXi Fa Cai– Chinese New Year Song

18 Greetings you need to know for Chinese New Year…

What to say to other people on 春节

祝你… (zhù nǐ=wish you)恭喜发财 (gōngxǐfācái): congrats on good fortune财源广进 (cáiyuánguàngjìn): fortune flows in年年有余 (niánniányǒuyú): every year has surplus万事如意 (wànshìrúyì): ten thousand things go as

planned学业有成 (xuéyèyǒuchéng) ： school success心想事成 (xīnxiǎngshìchèng) ： success to whatever

your heart desires恭贺新禧 (gōnghèxīnxǐ): Happy New Year’s (fancy)新年快乐 (xīnniánkuàilè) ： Happy New Year

给你的朋友送红包(hóngbāo=red envelope)

2 月 10 号 : 春节 (chūnjié=Spring Festival) ：剪纸 (jiánzh =papercutting)ǐ

1. 春节考试2. 剪纸3. Project: Stevenson Life

Project: work on your video(group), Skritter

春 节Spring Festival

春节 (chūnjié) 是几月几号？

今年是… 2 月 19号

明年是…？

羊年=yángnián=Year of the Goat

怎么说” wish you congratulations on

good fortune” ？

祝你恭喜发财(zhùnǐ

gōngxǐfācái)

Made by Ouyang Xiaofang

Decoration

Jiǎn zhĭ 剪 纸 papercuts

剪纸 (jiánzh =papercutting)ǐ

春chūn(spring)

喜+喜xǐ

(like/happiness)

春chūn(spring)