We had a special treat today. Miss Varley told us that we were going to be learning about the Chinese New Year.
What is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year is the main Chinese festival of the year. As the Chinese use the Lunar calendar for their festivals the date of Chinese New Year changes from year to year. The date corresponds to the new moon (black moon) in either late January or February.
Traditionally celebrations last for fifteen days, ending on the date of the full moon. In China the public holiday lasts for three days and this is the biggest celebration of the year.
The Chinese calendar is different from that used in the United Kingdom. It is made up of a cycle of twelve years, each of them being named after an animal. This is very like our signs of the zodiac. Some people believe that people born in a particular year such as the year of the Dog will have some of the characteristics of that animal.
We found out that it is the year of the Rooster.
The Chinese New Year of the Rooster began on 28 January 2017. It is year 4715 on the Chinese Calendar.
The date of Chinese New Year varies each year and the next will be on 16 February 2018, when it will be the Year of the Dog.
Do you know which Zodiac sign you are? Click here to find out. Miss Varley was born in the year of the rat and Miss Morris was born in the year of the ox.
We wanted to know where the animals came from so we read the story of the Zodiac. Click here to read the story.
We created some dragon masks and then we used the hall to do some dragon dancing.
To finish our day, Miss Varley had made us a Chinese New Year banquet. It was delicious and we loved trying all of the different foods.
pearlY2princeedward 
What a really fun, exciting day. When I visited your classroom, all the noodles had gone! I love this blog. I can see all the activities that you did. Do you know why everyone dances around inside a dragon and not any other animal? Do you know why the dragon seems to be the best animal of all?
Mr Sieczkarek
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Good morning Mr Sieczkarek.
We know that dragons are helpful, friendly and kind animals that the Chinese people believe bring them good luck, wisdom and long life. The dragon seems to be the best animal of all because they have special powers like being able to fly, swim in the sea and walk on land. They also chase away bad luck. Miss Morris said that the dragon is best because it is on the Welsh flag!
Love Pearl class xx
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