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| The Chinese class wishing SJHS students a happy new year. | 265.13 KB |
Have you smelled the dumplings? It’s the Chinese New Year in China, and the students in the Chinese class have been celebrating. Here, at Springville Junior High School, the Chinese classes have warned the evil spirits out from our classrooms banging gongs and chanting. It has been exciting for everyone. The Chinese New Year, known as the Spring Festival in China, is here to once again declare springtime after a cold winter.
The Spring Festival is not like your regular old New Year. Unlike ours, which happens on January 1st, the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar. Mrs. Wells, the Chinese teacher at SJHS, said, “Chinese New Year depends on the lunar calendar so the date varies every year. Sometimes its in January, sometimes it’s in February. I like the fact that it’s not the same time as our New Year, because then I get to celebrate two holidays.”
We all have our favorite parts of the New Year. It might be drinking apple cider, or just staying up until three in the morning. In China they have fifteen days of celebrating. They do different things on different days of the fifteen day celebration. According to Sally Wells, a ninth grader in the Chinese class, for the first few days you go and visit the dead and the old people. But really it’s just a big family thing. You also go around and clean your house to rid the evil spirits. Abbi Morris, a eighth grader in the Chinese class, said, “My favorite part of the Chinese New Year is eating all the yummy food!” According to Joseph Bell, a ninth grader in Chinese, they make lanterns and fold red envelopes; they also make lots of food. Most students favorite part of the new year is the food. Mrs. Wells said, “We love Chinese dumplings - we call them ‘jiaozi,’ I especially love the fried ones called ‘guotie’ or pot stickers, in English”
As the Chinese New Year passes Mrs. Bass, an English teacher at SJHS, said, “I think it’s great when students can share what they are learning with the school. I especially think it’s fun when we get to learn about other cultures.”