Happy Chinese New Year!

Perhaps the most important of all Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide as a symbol of togetherness, unity and good fortune. At Hiba Nursery, we raise children who are fluent in both English and Mandarin whilst also providing a bicultural understanding to become a true global citizen. 

During the last week of this semester, our Nursery pupils and members of the Hiba community participated in various activities to celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year. Let's take a look at these fun yet meaningful activities! 

扫房子，饰新年!

Decorations

Spring cleaning is a tradition during Chinese New Year. Pupils, teachers, and family members worked together to decorate the Nursery with various elements of the New Year and give it a fresh look!  Various decorations such as spring couplets, window flowers, rubbings of New Year paintings, and New Year's flowers were created, filling the entire Nursery with a strong festive atmosphere.

腊八粥

Traditional Porridge

Nursery pupils and teachers cooked pots of sweet and delicious traditional porridge together to celebrate the New Year!  Throughout the year, the Nursery pupils have had a rich cooking experience, successfully making pear soup, lemonade, cakes, pumpkin pudding, and more. The life experience they have learned from these cooking activities has been successfully applied to the making of traditional porridge this time! How to combine ten different ingredients to achieve the desired taste? How much of each ingredient is needed? How to measure the desired amount? How to determine if the porridge is cooked? Through their exploration and teamwork, the children successfully cooked their own unique traditional porridge! Try it, isn't it especially delicious and sweet?

包饺子

Dumpling Making

Dumplings with the auspicious meaning of "changing of the year" are an essential food during the Chinese New Year. The children in the Nursery   gained a unique experience by making dumplings. When it comes to making dumplings, the grandparents in Hiba are real professionals! They were the leaders of this big family, in control of the whole process! Making the dough, rolling it, preparing the filling, wrapping the dumplings, each step is carried out smoothly under their guidance. Everyone enjoys the fun of making dumplings in the steamy atmosphere, just like a real family. Our pupils not only learned how to make dumplings, but also received warmth and harmony from the Hiba community.

起鼓舞龙，贺大年!

Drumming & Lion Dancing Gala

A dragon dance is a traditional way to celebrate the Chinese New Year here in Hiba Academy Nantong. We still recall last year’s excitement. This year, we continued the tradition with dragons, lions and the resounding drumbeats echoing a warm Spring Festival atmosphere throughout the entire Nursery. Our children transformed into little lions and danced in cooperation amidst the sound of drums! The adults all handed out little red envelopes filled with good wishes to our little lions. All the blessings and cheers became even more intense in the dragon dance that everyone participated in together. Wishing every community friend to enter the thriving Year of the Dragon with this warmth and strength!

新春游园会

Chinese Temple Fair

At the Chinese Temple Fair, the Nursery booths were very popular. In front of the traditional fan painting booth, pupils carefully design their own fans, carrying their wishes for the new year. In front of the dragon model making booth, various forms of dragons gradually took shape in the hands of the children showing Hiba children's hard work and creativity.

In Hiba, we celebrate traditional Chinese festivals to enriches pupil’s experiences and their sense of identity and pride in the Chinese tradition. These activities are not just a form of entertainment, but also an important way for them to connect with cultural heritage and traditional values.

We hope you are celebrating the year of Dragon with your loved ones. Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year!