January 23, 2012

Gung hay fat choy!

Today marks the start of the Chinese New Year! We spent Sunday afternoon filling 24 red envelopes with gold chocolate coins to bring into Josie's classroom. I'll be joining her class the last hour of morning kindergarten to assist in our very own CNY celebration.


In case you are wondering, red is the color of happiness. Special envelopes (like these) are filled with a gift of money and are traditionally given to children (and unmarried adults) on Chinese New Year. In addition to sharing these special envelopes with Josie's classmates, we'll also be coloring dragon masks so that we can have our very own Chinese New Year's parade.

The dragon, represents strength and brings good luck. Every Chinese New Year's parade ends with a dragon.

The dragon has the eyes of a rabbit, the mouth of a camel, the antlers of a deer, the scales of a carp, the whiskers of a catfish, the talons of an eagle, the legs of a tiger, the ears of a cow and the body of a serpent. As the dragon passes by fireworks explode all around.

The old year ends with a roar as people celebrate the beginning of a new one.

As you can imagine, Josie is very excited about sharing her special holiday with her classmates. I'll be bringing the camera along and can't wait to capture our amazing celebration.

Happy Year of the Dragon!!
XOXO
♥


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18 comments:

  1. KJ@letsgoflyakiteJanuary 23, 2012 at 5:39 AM

    Happy New Year!!! I am certain that the celebration will be loved and remembered by all.

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  2. vivianJanuary 23, 2012 at 6:39 AM

    such fun! I bet Josie Loves sharing the Chinese New Year with her class. Youre such a good mother kim! she will have the best memories of all these fun things.
    have a great week
    xoxo
    vivian

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  3. VickiJanuary 23, 2012 at 7:22 AM

    Happy New Year! I never knew that the dragon itself represented so many animals. Somehow I missed that. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. JodiJanuary 23, 2012 at 7:26 AM

    fun! fun! fun!! you're the best mom E.V.E.R.! Happy New Year!

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  5. My Vintage MendingJanuary 23, 2012 at 8:49 AM

    Happy Chinese New Year. We ate at our very favorite Chinese restaurant yesterday in celebration and thought of you all....smiles...Rene

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  6. LeeJanuary 23, 2012 at 9:12 AM

    What a fun way to celebrate-looking forward to seeing the pictures!
    I hope you celebrated your Dad's big day. I would never guess his age!
    Have a good week!

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  7. ★Carol★January 23, 2012 at 9:34 AM

    Happy New Year! I bet Josie and her classmates are going to have a blast celebrating!

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  8. Cheryl G.January 23, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    I didn't know all that about the dragon!
    Looks like Josie is having fun!
    And she is as darling as ever!
    Here's to all the happiness you can hold, to the strength and health of your family and to all the good luck that can come your way!

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  9. CindyJanuary 23, 2012 at 2:16 PM

    Yesterday was one of those days in the Whaley household...making a dragon cake, fortune cookie treats, red envelopes ready, etc. (Thankfully, I sent the craft, coloring sheets, and Panda Express education packet last week so her teachers would be prepared.) Whew! It wore me out! Not to mention T's birthday party and our Forever Family/CNY lunch. Hope to get some posts up soon.

    Thanks for all your great ideas! Your gift is not only crafting but sharing, too!

    Happy Year of the Dragon...
    Cindy

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  10. JanetJanuary 23, 2012 at 4:28 PM

    Happy Chinese New Year to you! What a great way to celebrate with Josie's class!
    Blessings,
    Janet

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  11. Truly BlessedJanuary 23, 2012 at 5:09 PM

    Happy New Year to your family as well!

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  12. asian~treasuresJanuary 23, 2012 at 5:38 PM

    LOVE IT! You can check out our school celebrations (one done & one to go) www.quiriechronicles.blogspot.com

    : )

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  13. DearHelenHartmanJanuary 23, 2012 at 5:59 PM

    So much fun - I bet the kids in Josie's class were delighted.

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  14. Joanna BJanuary 23, 2012 at 6:15 PM

    Happy year of the dragon! We had fun making your dragon craft, and cake! yum!

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  15. CourtneyJanuary 23, 2012 at 8:55 PM

    Happy Chinese New Year! I can't wait to hear how your celebration at school went.

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  16. HeatherJanuary 23, 2012 at 10:12 PM

    I was thinking about you and Josie today! Happy New Year!

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  17. JodeeJanuary 23, 2012 at 11:16 PM

    What a fun day! Cute pictures!

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  18. JodeeJanuary 23, 2012 at 11:18 PM

    P.S. Did you see these:

    http://maddycakesmuse.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-superhero-valentines.html

    So cute!

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Thank you for following our adventures. I always enjoy reading your comments. Happy crafting! Happy thrifting! PS. Ignore that "robot" verification. You can ignore/skip that step since I can't seem to remove it from blogger.