| For many people, Chinese New Year is the longest | | | | won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, finished |
| and most important celebration of the year. It is a time | | | | last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal |
| of celebration, eating special foods, cleaning and | | | | cycle and the pig is the last. The Chinese believe the |
| decorating the house, giving gifts, fireworks, and getting | | | | animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a |
| ready for the coming year. The color red is believed to | | | | strong influence on that person's personality. Have |
| be lucky, so people traditionally wear red clothes and | | | | children make their own Chinese calendar by using our |
| give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Family | | | | patterns. Let them find their zodiac sign and see if the |
| members gather at each other's homes for visits and | | | | characteristics match their personality. |
| shared meals. Festivities usually end with the lantern | | | | Lai-See Envelope |
| festival, highlighted by a dragon dance. With your | | | | One of the most popular activities observed on |
| children, ring in the New Year with the following fun | | | | Chinese New Year is the custom of Hong Bao, or the |
| Chinese New Year Activities. | | | | giving of small red (the color red is thought to bring |
| Chinese New Year Dragon | | | | good fortune) envelopes filled with "lucky money" to |
| The dragon symbolizes strength, goodness, and good | | | | children by adults. To make your own red (lai see) |
| luck. Help your child make a simple dragon. Use an egg | | | | envelope, trace our envelope pattern on red paper and |
| carton with three cups and have children paint the | | | | assemble. Cut the end of a drinking straw to a point to |
| cups with red and yellow colors. Draw a dragon face | | | | make a quill. Have children write some Chinese letters |
| shape and decorate with cotton balls and wiggly eyes. | | | | with the quill on the front of the envelope. Add a line of |
| Cut yarn into small pieces and glue to the back of the | | | | glue to the outer edge of the envelope and sprinkle |
| dragon. Glue pom-poms to the bottom of the egg | | | | gold glitter on it. Shake off excess glitter. Add a coin to |
| carton cups to make legs. Have children perform their | | | | the inside of the envelope and seal flap with tape. |
| own dragon dances as they parade around together. | | | | Cleaning and Decorating the House |
| Chinese Lantern | | | | A common Chinese New Year activity is to clean and |
| Paint a paper plate red and cut out a circle in the | | | | decorate the house. It is believed that cleaning the |
| middle. Take clear contact paper and cut a circle to fit | | | | house helps sweep away any bad luck that may have |
| inside the paper plate and tape to the back. Tear red | | | | accumulated over the past year. Encourage children to |
| and yellow tissue paper into small pieces and place on | | | | help you clean and tidy the house-dust all the corners, |
| the sticky side of contact paper. Cut two rectangles | | | | wash the windows, and sweep the rooms. Remember |
| out of red craft paper and glue to the bottom and top | | | | though, that sweeping or dusting should not be done on |
| of lantern. Make a tassel out of yellow yarn and glue | | | | New Year's Day because good fortune might be |
| to the bottom of lantern. | | | | swept away! To decorate, help your children make |
| The Chinese Calendar Crafts and Activities | | | | paper curls. On the curls, write special messages like |
| Explain to children that the Chinese Lunar Calendar is | | | | "good fortune," "good health," and "long life," and then |
| based on the cycles of the moon. Each year in a | | | | hang them around the house. Make and hang paper |
| cycle is named after an animal. Legend says that | | | | lanterns. Fill the house with fresh blooms and flowering |
| Buddha invited all the animals to join him for a New | | | | plants. |
| Year's celebration but only 12 showed up. They argued | | | | Snacks |
| about who was to head the cycle of years, so | | | | Serve children oranges and tangerines during Chinese |
| Buddha held a race-whoever first reached the | | | | New Year as they symbolize wealth and good luck. |
| opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest | | | | Some other lucky foods are noodles which represent |
| of the animals would receive their years according to | | | | a long life, clams and spring rolls which denote wealth, |
| their finish. The race began, but unknown to the ox, the | | | | and sticky rice cakes which symbolize a rich, sweet |
| rat had jumped upon his back. As the ox was about | | | | life and abundance for the coming year. |
| to jump ashore, the rat jumped off the ox's back, and | | | | |