Chinese Year Of The Rat

February 7, 2008 - The Year of the Rat. For many people, the Chinese New Year celebration is the longest and most important of the year. It is a time of celebration, eating special foods, cleaning and decorating the house, giving gifts, fireworks, and prepares for the coming year. The color red is considered lucky, so people traditionally wear red clothes and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals.'s Day usually end with the Lantern Festival, marked by a dragon dance. With Children, Ring in the New Year following fun Chinese New Year Activities

Chinese New Year Dragon
The dragon symbolizes strength, goodness, and good luck. Help your child make a simple dragon. Use an egg carton with three cups and have children paint the cups with red and yellow. Draw a dragon face shape and decorate with cotton balls and eye rolling. son cut into small pieces and glue to the back of the dragon. Glue pompoms at the bottom of the egg carton cups to make legs. Ask the children to fulfill their dragon dance as they parade together.

Chinese Lantern Craft
Paint a red paper plate and cut a circle in the middle. Make contact with the paper clear and cut a circle to fit inside the paper plate and tape the back. Tear tissue paper, red and yellow in small pieces and place them on the sticky side of contact paper. Cut two rectangles of red craft paper and glue to the bottom and top of the lantern. Make a tassel of yellow wire and glue to the bottom of the lantern.

The Craft Chinese calendar and activities
Explain to children that the Chinese lunar calendar is based on cycles of the moon. Each year in a cycle is the name of an animal. Legend has it that Buddha invited all animals to join him in celebrating the New Year, but only 12 showed up. They argued about who was to head the cycle of years, the Buddha held a race-the one who first reached the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the remaining animals would receive their years according their arrival. The race began, but unknown to the ox, the rat had jumped on his back. As the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped behind the ox, and has won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, finished last. That is why the rat is the first year cycle of animals and the pig last. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a strong influence on the personality of that person. Ask children to make their own Chinese calendar using our templates. Let them find their zodiac signs and see if the features match their personality.

Lai-See Envelope
One of the most popular activities observed on the Chinese New Year is the custom of Hong Bao, or giving small red (the color red is thought to bring good fortune) envelopes filled with "lucky money" to children by adults. To make your own red (See Lai) envelopes, traces our model on red paper envelope and assemble. Cut the end of a straw to make a point of a pen. Have children write letters Chinese with the pen on the front of the envelope. Add one line of glue on the outer edge of the envelope and sprinkle glitter of gold on it. Shake excess glitter. Add a coin inside the envelope flap and seal with tape.

Cleaning and decorating the house
A common Chinese N.