St. B’s Celebrates the Year of the Sheep
by Nadine Thomas
“Gung Hay Fat Choy!” “Xin Nian Hao!” “Gong Xi Fa Cai!” There are many ways to say it, but these phrases all mean the same thing, “Happy New Year!” February 19, 2015, marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year of the Sheep (or Ram or Goat), and a few lucky classes got to join in on the celebration with assistance from some St. Bernard’s parents.
First graders in I Mackay enjoyed the first celebration of the day with Tony T., Mei G., Jing W., and her daughter Ruiwen. Ruiwen had the full attention of the boys as she read them The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac, while Jing handed out the most delicious spring rolls.
Tony and Mei, who also have a son in III FitzGerald, did double-duty helping both classes celebrate the New Year. The boys in III FitzGerald and I Mackay received meaningful objects, including a red envelope with a dollar in Chinese currency, a booklet with facts on the Chinese New Year, an orange, a postcard with a scenic view of China, amazing dumplings, and the book Moon Beams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats.
The boys in I Flannigan celebrated the Year of the Sheep while wearing traditional silk jackets. They discussed the symbolism behind foods like dumplings, long noodles, spare ribs, and oranges. Each food they sampled had a special meaning for the year to come: family togetherness and friendship, long life, strength, good luck, and/or happiness.
As an old Chinese proverb goes, “may you have 10,000 years of happiness.”
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“Gung Hay Fat Choy!” “Xin Nian Hao!” “Gong Xi Fa Cai!” There are many ways to say it, but these phrases all mean the same thing, “Happy New Year!” February 19, 2015, marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year of the Sheep (or Ram or Goat), and a few lucky classes got to join in on the celebration with assistance from some St. Bernard’s parents.
First graders in I Mackay enjoyed the first celebration of the day with Tony T., Mei G., Jing W., and her daughter Ruiwen. Ruiwen had the full attention of the boys as she read them The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac, while Jing handed out the most delicious spring rolls.
Tony and Mei, who also have a son in III FitzGerald, did double-duty helping both classes celebrate the New Year. The boys in III FitzGerald and I Mackay received meaningful objects, including a red envelope with a dollar in Chinese currency, a booklet with facts on the Chinese New Year, an orange, a postcard with a scenic view of China, amazing dumplings, and the book Moon Beams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats.
The boys in I Flannigan celebrated the Year of the Sheep while wearing traditional silk jackets. They discussed the symbolism behind foods like dumplings, long noodles, spare ribs, and oranges. Each food they sampled had a special meaning for the year to come: family togetherness and friendship, long life, strength, good luck, and/or happiness.
As an old Chinese proverb goes, “may you have 10,000 years of happiness.”
