Librarian Kirstin Down with Emma Barrett’s winning magnet design. Photo by Wende Carr
Every February, the Chinese New Year is celebrated with a month’s worth of festivities. Dragon dances, eating mooncakes, and the setting off of an unfathomable volume of fireworks mark the celebrations.
This year, Town of Webb School elementary students have selected the Chinese New Year as their theme for the Parents as Reading Partners (PARP) program which kicked-off on Friday, February 1.
Students are commemorating the theme by decorating their classroom doors for the month-long program.
Webb’s first grader classroom door, for example, looks like a giant hong bao, or red envelope, with the character for double happiness depicted.
The students have learned that during the new year, Chinese children go to their elders and kowtow (bow) to show respect.
The elders then bestow upon the children red paper envelopes fancily decorated in gold or black, containing money. Red is the color symbolizing happiness in Chinese culture.
Because this year is the “Year of the Snake” on the Chinese calendar many snake images are being used in the students’ decorating.
A traditional component of the PARP program is a contest to design a button, bookmark or magnet that best illustrates the program’s theme.
This year’s winner is fifth grader Emma Barrett whose dragon design will appear on magnets that will be distributed to all elementary students.
To wish someone a Happy New Year in Chinese, the term is pronounced, “Sheen Nian Quai Le.”
