Masterman Celebrates the Year of the Snake

Here in Philadelphia members of the Chinatown community took to the streets to celebrate the Midnight Eve and Lunar New Year Day parades, led by the Philadelphia Suns, a community organization based in Chinatown. The cultural celebrations consisted of rhythmic lion dancing, drumming, and explosive firecrackers and were meant to bring good luck to the community. 

Lunar New Year celebrations last 15 days and include gifting red envelopes, visiting elders, and relaxation. The festivities wrap up on the final day with the Lantern Festival, concluding with a feast of glutinous rice balls and the release of lanterns into the sky as a way of saying goodbye to the old year and hello to the new one. 

On February 1st, HSA hosted a Lunar New Year celebration at Masterman that featured an arts and crafts station with activities like lantern making and origami, a traditional performance, and Chinese cuisine such as dumplings and fried rice. HSA hoped the event would strengthen the bond within the Masterman Chinese community and reinforce the importance of family and student involvement at Masterman.

The celebration continues with additional events. Be on the lookout for red envelopes around the school this week, as ACA will be hosting a scavenger hunt hiding the envelopes around the building.