At BestStart Long Bay, our Dragon Boat Festival celebration brought tamariki, whānau, and kaiako together for a vibrant morning of cultural learning, hands-on creativity, and shared traditions, reflecting the values of manaakitanga and community.
The Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is a special occasion that commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan and brings together a rich tapestry of cultural traditions and rituals.
At Long Bay, we are proud of the diverse influences within our centre and deeply value the importance of community. With this in mind, we celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival alongside our tamariki and whānau through a morning filled with meaningful learning opportunities and shared experiences.
Our dedicated team came together to create a wonderful event where both tamariki and whānau engaged in a variety of creative and cultural activities. These included bamboo leaf painting, exploring green playdough, and playing in a dragon boat that the tamariki had beautifully painted themselves.
To honour tradition, we also shared delicious sticky rice dumplings for morning tea. The highlight of the morning was a special mat-time learning experience, where we retold the story of the Dragon Boat Festival. This allowed our tamariki and whānau to connect with the cultural significance of the day and deepen their understanding of its origins.
As part of our philosophy of manaakitanga, we take pride in looking after each other by celebrating and honouring our culturally diverse community. We love celebrating diverse traditions at Long Bay, and events like this are a wonderful way to come together in learning, joy, and respect.