Using Your Free Chinese New Year Words Poster

 

The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is around the corner. The Lunar New Year is a Chinese festival celebrated in the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. Attached is a free poster with some key words relating to Chinese New Year (CNY). Use these as a starting point for a conversation about CNY customs and symbols. To those celebrating, Dumond Education wishes you a very prosperous and happy CNY.

 

 

Although this poster may seem rather simple, used well, it enables children to develop a little background knowledge about CNY. The importance of background knowledge in supporting reading comprehension is now well-known. When pupils know a little about a topic, if they later encounter this subject in a written text, it is much easier for them to build on this foundation, make further connections and comprehend the material.

 

One famous study in the 1980s asked students to read a text describing a baseball game and to use toy figures on a miniature field to re-enact the game. Those pupils who were unfamiliar with baseball, irrespective of whether they were good readers or poor readers, struggled to re-create the events of the game. Those with knowledge of baseball, even if they were poor readers, were significantly more successful.

 

Hence the stress Dumond places on discussion and vocabulary development activities. Children will later reap the benefits of developing broad background knowledge on a range of topics. You can read more about the baseball study in this Edutopia article by Youki Terada.

 

Back to our poster…

 

What is the significance of the images chosen?

 

Lion Dance: Performed by two dancers to herald the new year, this traditional dance is said to bring prosperity, peace and good luck. It requires skill, strength and artistry on the part of the performers. They are accompanied by musicians (on a drum, cymbals and with a gong) who play music to symbolise the lion’s roar.

 

Fan: Fans have always held great significance in China and Japan and were carried by men and women alike. There are many different styles of fans including feather fans, circular fans, folding fans, and palm leaf fans. The style of fan carried was an indicator of status. Great attention was paid to the decoration of each one.  

 

Lantern: Nowadays lanterns are used for decorative purposes, but their original function was a practical one. They were used as light sources; the silk or paper shade prevented the flame blowing out. Most common are hanging lanterns, but floating lanterns and flying lanterns are often used during festivals also.

 

Firecrackers: Traditionally used to scare away evil spirits, firecrackers continue to be commonly used in Lunar New Year festivities, religious ceremonies and other celebrations. A legend tells the monster Nian would rouse on New Year’s Eve, eating livestock and people and destroying their crops and homes. If, however, they lit dry bamboo, the ensuing explosive crack would scare Nian away.

 

Tangerines: Tangerines, mandarins, satsumas and oranges are often given as gifts during CNY. They symbolise good fortune and abundance and you will often see them being used for decorative purposes. It is thought the custom has arisen due to the similarities between the Chinese words for tangerine and gold and those for orange and good luck. Fruit offerings are made with both hands. Good manners dictate the recipient at first refuses the gift and the giver must persist in offering it.

 

Red:  Representing fire in Elements Theory, red is a hugely important colour in Chinese culture. Kitchens are often decorated in red in China to bring good luck. Brides usually also wear read as it signifies joy, luck, celebration, happiness, and vitality.

 

Each of the symbols above offers lots of scope for further learning and activities. If your child loves arts and crafts, they could make a lion, lantern or fan. With variations of the legend of Nian existing, your child may enjoy reading other tales about Nian. Perhaps they could even create their own? Budding chefs out there may enjoy using tangerines as the key ingredient in a recipe.

 

Keen to learn more?

 

• Jan Homden of International Teacher Magazine has compiled a wealth of resources based on the Year of the Rat here. She includes a great list of books with rat characters.

• Written for children, this page contains lots of interesting facts about CNY and teaches children how to wish others a prosperous new year.

• Find the top 3 Chinese New Year legends here.

• Another site with lots of information. I think the timeline is helpful.

 

I hope this is helpful and has given lots of ideas for using our poster to build background knowledge. 

 

Download your free poster here 

 

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2020!