Celebrate multicultural holidays in your classroom! Chinese New Year is an important holiday. It honors household gods and ancestors. The holiday is also known as Spring Festival. This activity will introduce students to the traditions of Chinese New Year.
Read a Chinese New Year passage about the history and traditions of the holiday. Then follow the instructions to make a Chinese scroll. One way people celebrate Chinese New Year is by writing and displaying messages of good luck. Sometimes they write on scrolls. They put the scrolls on the doors to their houses. Sometimes they write good-luck messages with brushes on diamond-shaped pieces of red paper. They display them in homes or businesses. We wish people “Happy New Year!” People in China also greet one another at the new year. They want to wish people good fortune.
Materials:
- 1 piece of white or red drawing paper
- red crayon or colored pencil
- scissors
- tape or glue
- two pencils or sticks
Instructions:
- Fold a piece of white drawing paper in half lengthwise.
- Write a good-luck message on one side of the paper. Consider using one or more of the sayings below.
Popular Chinese New Year’s Greetings:
-Much happiness and prosperity to you
-Fortune will smile on you-Get wealthy quickly
-Success is on its way
- Place a pencil or stick at the top of the paper. Fold over the paper and tape it in place.
Follow this same step for the bottom of the paper.
For more Chinese New Year Lessons & Activities, see Celebrating Holidays.