Lunar New Year began on February 1, but this isn't just one night or day of celebrating, as it lasts for several days. In China, the celebration lasts 15 days, with the Spring Lantern Festival on the final day. Above is Olivia, an au pair from China, with her host child celebrating the holiday. [...]
The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and [...]
Washington, D.C. Community Counselor Natalie Skidmore shared a video from a host family whose children were taught to say "Happy New Year" in Chinese by their au pair Winnie W. This holiday provided another opportunity to build bridges and learn about other cultures.
Community Counselor Cynthia Chan in Southern Maryland used her monthly meeting to highlight the Lunar New Year. A guest speaker taught the au pairs about Chinese culture and Lunar New Year. In addition to sampling some treats, they also learned how to write a greeting in Chinese characters and received Lucky Money (red) envelopes. There [...]
February 5th, 2019 is the Lunar New Year. Children all across Asia are given pocket money nestled in bright red envelopes. Started in the Han Dynasty, coins (objects that looked like coins) were tied together with red string and given to ward off evil spirits. Eventually the red string became red envelopes. More about the [...]
Are you or your host family celebrating the Lunar New Year? If so, please send us a photo of your celebration. Please include: Your Name Your Country Name of your Community Counselor https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lunar-new-year-2019/index.html. STR/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Chinese au pair Min C. is spending her year in Catherine McEaddy Holmes's Washington, D.C. cluster. Min had the opportunity to present to 120 students at the Shepherd Elementary School about the Chinese New Year! She showed pictures of the customs around the celebrations including red lanterns and paper cutting, and the delicious lucky food. The [...]
Friday February 16th is Chinese New Year. Min C. an au pair in Washington DC shared this great post on the special foods that are served during the Chinese New Year. Tang-yuan Tang-yuan (dumplings made of sweet rice, rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings) is what most southern families have [...]
