Surrey schools celebrate the Year of the Snake for Lunar New Year
Schools across Surrey and White Rock are sharing messages of hope and prosperity today (Wednesday, Jan. 29) as they ring in the Lunar New Year, one of the biggest and most important celebrations in various South East Asian cultures.
Observed by Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and other South East Asian communities around the world, the Lunar New Year marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar and serves as a time to reflect on a year of hard work, as well as wish for a prosperous and luck-filled future in the year ahead. Many cultures adhere to the animal zodiac, with 2025 being the Year of the Snake, symbolizing good luck, rebirth and regality, and said to represent love and happiness.
“Lunar New Year holds deep cultural significance for many of our students, parents, staff and their families throughout the district,” said JB Mahli, Director of Instruction for Racial Equity. “The values of good health and fortune are shared across generations and all walks of life, and it’s an exciting time for students in our schools to find common threads in their cultural identities while recognizing the holiday.”
Lunar New Year is often considered an important time of family and tradition, with one of the most popular customs being to give children red envelopes containing money, which are seen as blessings for the new year. The colour red is used to symbolize happiness, vitality and success.
Students at Rosemary Heights Elementary engaged in paper cutting, designing red lanterns and decorations to celebrate Lunar New Year at the school.
Other traditions include cleaning the house, buying new clothes, lion dancing and setting off firecrackers, which are meant to ward off bad spirits and attract good luck and fortune for the coming year. It is also common to not clean your house or cut your hair in the first few days following the Lunar New Year, lest you sweep or cut away your good fortune.
To celebrate in the classroom, schools are educating students on Asian cultures through lesson plans and activities to highlight and better understand the significance of the Lunar New Year.
Rosemary Heights Elementary hosted a Lunar New Year assembly and had students try their hand at lantern making, among other arts and crafts. Students also made displays about the ancient art of Chinese paper cutting, dating back to 200 B.C.
Hillcrest Elementary continued its tradition of teaching all of their students how to lion dance, and sing a traditional Chinese folk song “Ai Hai Yo,” something that has taken place through the Hillcrest halls for the past 17 years. Additionally, Earl Marriott Secondary is putting on a lion dancing performance of their own during lunch later this week.
Surrey Schools wishes everybody a happy Lunar New Year!
