Students at Albion Elementary crowded the halls of the school Tuesday morning to watch a lion dance parade as the school celebrated the Lunar New Year.
Even the portables were vacated so students could cheer on the four lions, with two students in each costume, and 17 other students, as they made their way from classroom to classroom collecting red envelopes hanging from the entrance to each.
They were followed by two kindergarten classes and three kindergarten/Grade 1 classes who were wearing festive head bands they made in class, along with noisemakers and fans made out of paper plates and also paper chains.
According to Britannica, the Lunar New Year is a 15 day celebration that began this year on Feb. 17, with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and it will end on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later.
Also known as the Chinese New Year as it is a very important holiday in China, it is also celebrated in other Asian countries like Korea and Vietnam.
Kim, a Grade 5 student at Albion, celebrates the Lunar New Year with a big feast with his family and then they clean their house to remove any bad luck, he explained.
He was one of the many students who took part in the lion parade at the school and was thrilled to share his culture with his peers.
What he most enjoys about the Chinese New Year is receiving lucky money which he puts under his pillow.
“And when you sleep you should be lucky,” the 10-year-old explained.
Naomi, also in Grade 5, was wearing a pink dress that she said is tradition in her culture to wear to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Her family is from Vietnam and for the New Year they call their extended family to wish them a Happy New Year in Vietnamese. They also have a big feast after which they clean the house to get rid of all the bad luck.
In addition to receiving lucky money, Naomi said she really enjoys the different foods she gets to eat like spicy tofu, eggplant, and tofu soup.
“It’s really delicious,” she said.
Albion ELL teacher, English Language Learning, Kana Wiens organized the event with Grade 4 teacher Terry Jung, and Leah Kitamura, another ELL teacher at the school.
“It’s so nice to celebrate Lunar New Year,” said Wiens, noting that she enjoys celebrating all the different cultures they have at Albion Elementary.
Wiens explained that the students who were taking part in the parade started practising for the event two weeks prior. They had to learn the script for the announcement, where a small group of students explained what the Lunar New Year is all about. In addition, students also had to learn how to move the lions in the parade – with lots of side-to-side, and up-and-down movements.
“Making sure its like a dance,” she explained.
This year marks the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac. The horse, according to National Geographic, is a symbol of forward movement, independence, and endurance.
However, the Fire Horse is rare and only comes about once every 60 years and also symbolizes strength, grace, endurance, loyalty, freedom, and success.