华人新年 Chinese New Year

P2E Class Decorations

Chinese New Year

The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival（元宵节；pinyin: yuán xiāo jié） which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve(除夕;pinyin:chú xī) is a day when Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner. It literally means "Year-pass Eve".

Cuisine

Sec 2P: Tea Table

Mandarin oranges

Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year – jin ju (Chinese: 金橘子; pinyin: jīn jú zi) translation: golden tangerine/orange or kam (Chinese: 柑; pinyin: gān) in Cantonese. Also, the name gik (橘 jú) in Teochew dialect is a homophone of "luck" or "fortune" (吉 jí).

Nian gao 

(Chinese: 年糕;pinyin: nián gāo)

Nian Gao pronunciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year (年高 lit.Year high)". Known as Chinese New Year pudding, nian gao is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. The color of the sugar used determines the color of the pudding (white or brown).

Ms Li Pei-pei's Presentation

Yusheng or Yee sang 

(simplified Chinese: 鱼生;pinyin: yú shēng；Cantonese:Lo Hei)

Raw fish salad. Eating this salad is said to bring good luck. This dish is usually eaten on the seventh day of the New Year, but may also be eaten throughout the period.

P1M Class Decorations

Fish

Is usually eaten or merely displayed on the eve of Chinese New Year. The pronunciation of fish (魚yú) makes it a homophone for "surpluses"(余yú).as the Chinese phrase "may there be surpluses every year" (simplified Chinese: 年年有余; pinyin: nián nián yǒu yú) sounds the same as "may there be fish every year."

Practices

Red envelopes  

(Mandarin:红包；pinyin: 'hóng bāo'/ Hokkien: 'ang pow'）

Red envelopes are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as 压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian,the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit ) during this period.

Couplets at the Reception Area and Staff Room

 Couplets

(simplified Chinese: 对联;pinyin: duì lián)

A couplet is a pair of lines of poetry usually seen on the sides of doors leading to people's homes. A special, widely-seen type of duilian is the chun lian(春联), used as a New Year's decoration that expresses happy and hopeful thoughts for the coming year.

Lion Dance Painting by Mr Agus (Art Teacher)

(displayed at the Students' Lounge)

Lion Dance

(舞狮；pinyin: wǔ shī)

Lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits. 

Flowers

Floral Decor
Plum Blossom (梅花；pinyin：méi huā) symbolizes luck P1C Class Decorations
Kumquat(金橘；pinyin: jīn jú) symbolizes prosperity P1M Class Decorations
Chrysanthemum(菊花；pinyin：jú huā) symbolizes longevity
Bamboo(竹；pinyin: zhú) a plant used for any time of year Sec 4 Class Decorations

Greetings

(祝贺语，pinyin: zhù hè yǔ)

Sec 2M Class Decorations

The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (jí xiáng hùa) , or loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. Some of the most common examples may include:

1.  simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; ; Mandarin Pinyin: xīn nián kuài lè;

2.  simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财; pinyin: gōng xǐ fā cái, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous".

** Children and teenagers sometimes jokingly use the phrase (Chinese: 恭喜发财，红包拿来) (Mandarin PinYin: gōng xǐ fā cái, hóng bāo ná lái) roughly translated as "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope!".

Symbolism

Sec 2P Class Decorations

During these 15 days of the Chinese New Year one will see superstitious or traditional cultural beliefs with meanings which can be puzzling in the eyes of those who do not celebrate this occasion. There is a customary reason that explains why everything, not just limited to decorations, is centered on the colors red. At times, gold is the accompanying color for reasons that are already obvious. One best and common example is the red diamond-shaped posters with the character 福 (pinyin: fú), or "auspiciousness" which are displayed around the house and on doors. This sign is usually seen hanging upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 (pinyin: dào), or "upside down", sounds the same as 到 (pinyin: dào), or "arrive". Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck, happiness, and prosperity.

P6W Class Decorations

Blog Entry by Ms Ong Chwee Geok (Chinese Teacher)

Photography by Ms Ong Chwee Geok & Ms Chie Sipin-Bjarenas