A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without fireworks. There are many beliefs about why fireworks are used. One is that the noise wakes up the dragon who will fly across the sky to bring the spring rain for the crops. Another belief is that the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes, preventing them from coming into the new year. Your first task will be to create the fireworks art project.
TASK 2:
During the Festival of Lanterns, children carry candle-lit lanterns in the street. Your task will be to make a lantern. First choose a large piece of construction paper and draw a picture across the whole front and color it. Make sure you put your name on it at this point. After you have completed your picture, fold it in half lengthwise and cut 18 slits, (check example). Unfold the paper and staple or glue the short edges together, then glue a small strip to the sides at the top for a handle. Hand it in to be displayed in class. You may then copy and color this fan. After coloring, hand in to be laminated. Once returned to you, glue on wooden tongue depresser.
TASK 3:
The Chinese calendar is made up of twelve animals. This is the year of the Dog. Click here to see which animal you were born under. Make a copy of the Chinese Zodiac Animals word search and complete it. Put your name on it and hand it in.
TASK 4:
The Tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle. This activity is sometimes called "seven pieces of cleverness." The object of the puzzle is to rearrange the pieces of a square (the puzzle pieces) to form figures. Go here to create your own Tangram. You can arrange these seven pieces into an incredible number of shapes, making animals, people, everyday objects, etc. See how many you can make - invent new ones!
TASK 5:
The most spectacular event of the Chinese New Year is the Lion Dance. The Lion dances take place throughout the first few days of the Chinese New Year. Lions are considered to be good luck. During the New Year celebrations people do not fight or be mean to each other, as this would bring a bad, unlucky year.
In China, a dragon is also considered to bring good luck. Go here to create your own dragon craft.
TASK 6:
Blossoms are symbolic of the New Year, and blossom branches are a traditional decoration at Chinese New Year, and welcome in most houses at any time! You will create a blossom to attach to our blossom branch.
