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Although this month's focus is on the ethical issues of international adoption, with February 9th rapidly coming up I would be remiss to not mention the upcoming Asian New Year. Chuc Mung Nam Moi! ( for those of the Vietnamese persuasion) Gong Xi Fa Cai! (if Chinese) Say hay boke-mahn he pah du say oh! (for Korean) Asian countries celebrate the New Year (and other holidays) based on the Lunar Calendar, and how it falls on our western calendar changes from year to year. Sometimes it is in late January, and in other's (like this year) it's closer to our Valentine's Day. Traditions vary slightly from country to country in the Asian world, and I have included a list of links at the end of this article where you can find more resources, activities and information. This year, the Rooster comes around and we bid farewell to the Monkey. To get ready in my home, it's time to hop online to order red envelopes, books and other supplies and decorations. First stop is CHINA SPROUT! I plan on organizing an Asian New Year celebration at Katherine's pre-school this year, so I picked up three children's books to bring along: Chinese New Year for Kids (geared towards educators with lots of ideas for activities to help you celebrate), Lanterns and Firecrackers and Dragon Dance. A few packs of Rooster red envelopes, for their 'lucky money,' and, at $3.95 each, ten little red lanterns on a stick...the online catalogue said that they run on 2 AA batteries that are not included, but mine came already with little batteries inside of them and ready to glow. My plan is to read some books, make 'dragon masks,' and to have a parade down the hall with whatever noisy accompaniments that we can find. I have heard of people getting a long sheet of bubble wrap to march on to simulate the sound of firecrackers going off! I bought an extra copy of Chinese New Year for Kids to donate to the school library so the teachers can use it from year to year. Fortunately last fall I did a lot of surfing to investigate resources for the Fall Full Moon Festival, and I compiled a list of links to Asian holiday sites. I found lots of ideas for celebrating, crafts, stories, history and coloring pages. I confess to being in a time-crunch lately, and will simply pass that list of links on to you. Happy surfing and planning! Chinese New Year and Holiday Sites:Chinese New Year/Holiday Index: About.com Vietnamese New Year and Holidays: Tet and Cay Neu treeKorean sites for Solnal (Korean New Year): Check out China Sprout for your Asian New Year supplies! |
The Rooster is Coming! - by Ellen Fitzenrider
