Chinese New Year is always a big celebration in the North East, with a vibrant Chinese community welcoming everyone to join in. The Chinese lunar new year begins on 10th February marking the Year of the Dragon.
Find out more about the Spring Festival and Chinese language and culture events and activities available for schools, as part of Express Yourself North East Festival of Languages in March.
Chinese events and activities for schools and groups
There are lots of events and activities that schools and groups can get involved in with a Chinese focus as part of this year’s Festival of Languages. Click here to see the full programme of What’s On, or see the links and activities below:
Join in and sing, play and perform the Festival Song, ‘Happy’, in Chinese, with resources available. Register by 18th February and submit videos by 18th March.
Get involved in Mother Tongue Other Tongue by writing poems in Mandarin or Cantonese as part of a celebration of children’s writing. Submissions by 22nd March.
Make origami Peace Cranes and write a message of peace in Chinese languages as part of a regional exhibition. Submissions by 6th March.
Join in Welcome to China Events with Confucius Institute at Newcastle University (10-12 on 12th, 13th or 14th March). Join in a language Mandarin taster session and a cultural workshop including Tai Chi or Kungfu, calligraphy and paper cutting.
Join Language and Culture taster sessions in March and choose Chinese. With staff and Student Language Ambassadors from Newcastle University Language Resource Centre. For secondary/6th form pupils: 30-45 min virtual or 2-hour in person sessions.
Chinese Spring Festival (New Year)
Chinese New Year is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival.
The date for Chinese New Year is different every year as it is set according to the Lunar calendar. It falls on the first day of the new moon which begins in either late January or February. Celebrations last for around 15 days, ending on the day of the full moon.
British Council have produced a Year of the Dragon Education Pack for primary schools. The pack contains resources to help schools learn about the spring festival and explore Chinese Language and Culture. Pupils can:
- read a traditional Chinese tale which explains the origin of four Chinese rivers
- practice vocabulary and calligraphy linked to the weather
- get creative making amazing dragon puppets and designs for long scrolls and ceramics
- learn how to spot an Imperial dragon
- celebrate the New Year festival by making a delicious stir-fry dish called Wandering Dragon.