Oakham School 祝大家新年快乐！龍年大吉！
Alexis Dachtler, Oakham School’s Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Co-ordinator, explores some of the ways in which Lunar New Year is celebrated.
What is Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival) is one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in Asian culture. It marks the end of winter and celebrates the start of spring. It is a time for family reunions, cultural festivities, and the welcoming of a new year with hope and optimism.
When is Lunar New Year celebrated?
Lunar New Year falls on different days each year as it follows the lunar calendar. This year Lunar New Year is being celebrated between 10 and 24 February culminating in the Lantern Festival at the end. Each year in the Chinese zodiac is associated with one of 12 animal signs linked to certain characteristics and elements. The year 2024 marks the Year of the Dragon – the fourth position of the zodiac representing strength, courage and good fortune.
How are we celebrating Lunar New Year at Oakham School?
As a boarding and day school with pupils from thirty eight different nationalities, we want to celebrate our globally minded community by sharing some of the joy of the festival. With half-term starting on 9 February, we decided to kick off festivities early with a special dinner in the Barraclough Dining Hall on Saturday 3 February. Our wonderful catering staff decorated the dining room.
International Decem Daisy and Emily, together with their International Decem Mentor Monica Fernandez, produced 16 Lunar New Year hampers to be delivered to each of Oakham’s Houses over the course of the week. Each hamper contains a variety of authentic decorations and sweets, specially selected by some of our Chinese Oakhamians. The Decem will be delivering the hampers to the Houses over the course of this week specifically to the Asiatic students within each House for them to feel more ‘at home’ at this special time of the year. Hopefully, they might even want to share some stories and traditions of how they celebrate the New Lunar Year.
How to celebrate Lunar New Year
Here are some ways in which you can get involved in the celebrations:
- Plan a family reunion with your loved ones and share a special meal together.
- Decorate with Red – Red is associated with good luck and happiness in Chinese culture. Decorate your home with red lanterns, couplets and other festive items.
- Enjoy traditional Chinese dishes, such as dumplings, spring rolls, and rice cakes. These foods carry symbolic meanings related to prosperity and abundance.
- Give red envelopes (Hongbao) containing money as a gesture of goodwill and blessings.
- Attend local parades or performances featuring vibrant dragon and lion dances. These dances are believed to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.
