KS1 Dance: Let's Move. Chinese New Year

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1. Getting ready - 2. Join the New Year parade

Justin Fletcher has two sessions celebrating Lunar / Chinese New Year with movement and dance.

Lunar / Chinese New Year

Lunar / Chinese New Year is a major festival celebrated in China and in the many countries around the world that have an ethnic Chinese population - including the UK. It is also celebrated in many other Asian countries, where it is known as Lunar New Year. The timing of the festival is determined by the new moon, so does not fall on the same day each year, but always occurs in either January or early February. The festivities last for 15 days, ending on the day known as Lantern Festival.

Chinese mythology suggests the origins of New Year are concerned with a battle against a monster called Nian (meaning ‘year’ in Chinese). Nian would arrive on the first day of the New Year to terrorise villagers. However, the villagers discovered that Nian was afraid of the colour red…and thus each New Year the villagers would hang out red lanterns to scare Nian away and use firecrackers too. Nian was never seen again.

In the days preceding New Year Chinese families give their homes a thorough ‘spring clean’. The cleaning sweeps away bad luck and leaves room ready for good luck to enter. On the first day of New Year the dusters are put away to avoid sweeping away good luck. New clothes are purchased - often red. New Year is also time for visiting friends and family gatherings. Younger members of the family are often given gifts of money inside red envelopes.

The festivities culminate in Lantern Festival, when families will process through the streets with their New Year lanterns, bringing New Year to a close.