On January 31, we had two celebrations, the Chinese New Year and the Vietnamese New Year! One student just moved from China and shared some new cultural traditions from his native country. He taught us how to use chop sticks and read a Chinese lunar calendar. He brought in dragon fruit, and explained about the "red envelopes" that loved ones give to children on New Years Day.
A student from Vietnam taught us that the Vietnamese New Year is called "the Tet" and that she was excited to share her culture! This student brought in various dried fruit for us to sample, showed us a Power Point about the Vietnamese language, brought in a beautiful dress that she wears during her New Years celebrations and showed us a dragon dance on You Tube. Both students said that their families clean their houses and prepare special foods for good luck into the new year.
Thank you for sharing your important cultural events. It was a great celebration!