Happy Chinese New Year!

The celebration happily coincided with the arrival of two new exchange students from Fudan Fuzhong High School in Shanghai, who seemed delighted by their special welcome to the Circle.

 

While this holiday is important to those of Chinese heritage at Groton, many others knew little about it. To remedy that, the Chinese New Year Festival Committee (who also call themselves the “Dumpling Squad”), with Chinese teachers Shannon Jin and Renee Bai, organized a series of fun and educational events. 

Beginning on Saturday morning, small red envelopes filled with chocolate coins were tucked away in corners of the Schoolhouse Forum for students to find, in accordance with the celebration’s tradition. Those who found envelopes were entitled to special prizes once the evening events began.

 

At 6:00 p.m., the gong was struck to signify the official beginning of the festival. Parents and teachers brought delicious food (and my favorite, bubble tea), and participants took part in activities such as face painting, calligraphy, and traditional dancing. (I personally tried the calligraphy and learned my first Mandarin characters!)

 

The event united people from all cultures and backgrounds to experience a Chinese tradition that happens once a year.—Suzy K. ’16