Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival and signifies the time to cast away anything bad from the out-going year and bring good luck for the new year. The start of Chinese New Year changes every year because it is based on the lunar calendar that revolves around the phases of the Moon. It typically falls somewhere between 21 January and 20 February, and most families celebrate for roughly two weeks. Taking Chinese New Year as a starting point, the following activities cover learning in subjects such as D&T, literacy and numeracy.

From the Rat to the Pig

There are many traditions and symbols associated with Chinese New Year. Every year is assigned an animal name according to a repeating cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Every 12 years, therefore, the same animal will reappear.

According to Chinese legend, the 12 animals quarrelled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a contest: whoever was first to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finishing positions. All 12 animals gathered at the riverbank and jumped in. The Rat jumped onto the Ox’s back and as the Ox was about to jump ashore, the Rat jumped off his back and won the race. The Pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. That is why the Rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the Ox second and the Pig last.