The Chinese New Year was fully embraced at St. Charles College on February 5th, 2019, where staff and students came together as a school community dressed in red to celebrate. The students received beautifully red wrapped mandarin oranges from the breakfast club, which symbolizes good luck and friendship in the Chinese culture.

A traditional lunch, which consisted of dumplings, pork rice, spring rolls and almond cookies was served to students in the English Café, a club for all international students. New Year festivities will continue during the month of February at lunch for students to participate and learn about various traditions of the Chinese culture. Workshops on calligraphy, dragon art and a friendly chopstick competition will be held in the learning commons. These workshops will be led by our international students and partners in the community like the YMCA and Laurentian University’s international student program.

The Chinese new year began as a day to pray to the Gods for spring harvest and good planting and while there is no spring weather yet here in Sudbury, the celebrations were in full force. Students were encouraged to dress down and wear red clothing. 

Mrs. Church also put on a Chinese new year celebration in her classroom complete with all the fixings which included food, a portrait wall and loot bags complete with chocolate coins for good luck. 

The Grade 6 students at Holy Cross Elementary School acknowledged the Lunar (Chinese) New Year in respect of the diversity of the student population. In their classroom, there are two students that celebrate the Lunar New Year. The class participated in an afternoon High Tea with Green Iced Tea, fortune cookies, and mandarin oranges wrapped in red tissue (a tradition that symbolizes good luck and fortune). They also completed a craft activity, customizing fans made from paper doilies.