The Chinese New year is here! Here are some fun ways to celebrate without having to leave the country…

Make cool Chinese lanterns!

• what you’ll need: colored paper, scissors, glue/tape/stapler.

• Directions:

1. Fold a rectangular piece of paper in half, making a long, thin rectangle.

2. Make a series of cuts (about a dozen or more) along the fold line. Don’t cut all the way to the edge of the paper.

3. Unfold the paper. Glue or staple the short edges of the paper together.

4. Cut a strip of paper 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Glue or staple this strip of paper across one end of the lantern – this will be the handle of the lantern.

Optional:Make a lot of lanterns and string them along a length of yarn. Decorate your room!

Listen to traditional Chinese New Year music!

http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/music/xin_nian_xi_yang_yang.mid

Learn about the holiday!

Did you know?

• The Chinese people age a year together. Tradition holds that on the seventh day of the New Year, all people in China become a year older.

• In ancient China, bamboo stems filled with gunpowder were burnt to create small explosions in the belief that the loud sound drove away evil spirits. The burning of firecrackers in modern-day China still maintains this age-old custom.

• On the fifteenth and final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations, the Chinese Lantern Festival is observed. Almost all members of Chinese families walk the streets with lanterns, marking the end of festivities and gorge on traditional dishes.