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新年快乐 / 新年快樂 Happy New Year!
On Friday 28th January we celebrated Chinese New Year. The tamariki have been having a great time decorating the room and learning about what other children in China do at this time of the year. We learnt about fireworks, food, musical instruments, clothing, celebrations and much much more. The children had an awesome time exploring different Chinese artifacts and asking questions, becoming familiar with Chinese symbols and text and learning the song 两只老虎 (Two Tigers).
We even had our own little festival with singing, dancing, stories and ending in a parade. During the parade the children took turns to be the dragon as we moved around the centre visiting all of the rooms and wishing them all good fortune for the coming year. As the Dragon paraded around we all banged on drums and tambourines and shook bells, it was very exciting!
Celebrating Chinese New Year allows children the opportunity to explore and gain an understanding of the diverse and rich heritage we have as New Zealanders. They are able to gain insight and develop respect for other cultures and for some children it gave them the opportunity to share their culture with their peers.