23rd January Lunar New Year

Contrary to what many people outside Asia may think, Lunar New Year is not exclusively a Chinese holiday. True, it follows the Chinese Lunar calendar (in 2023, it falls on January 22, the Year of the Rabbit), but the holiday is celebrated across Asia and each country has its own customs and traditions. Lunar New Year is most often celebrated by eating specific dishes, usually with the entire family, and observing superstitions meant to bring good luck for the coming year. 

I am trying to get into the habit of calling the festival Lunar New Year because in this way it includes all Asians who celebrate as well as the Chinese. While there are similarities, each culture celebrates or emphasises different things. 

In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is also known as Tết, and it's celebrated with family. Traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake snacks like bánh tét (a log-like, cylinder snack) and bánh chưng (a square cake), play a vital role in the celebrations. The  Just like other countries, Vietnam has its own traditional costume — the áo dài — a silk tunic with slits on either side that's worn over pants by both men and women for the New Year. Children receive red envelopes with money from their older relatives, too.

Vietnamese do not include the rabbit in their cycle and instead have a cat.

In Korea Lunar New Year is called Seollal.  When Seollal comes, families gather together, hold ancestral rites, and enjoy food together! Food is an important part of the holiday and a lot of effort goes into preparing the food for the family.

Koreans dress in traditional costumes (known as hanbok), and children show their respect to elders with deep bows (known as seh bae). As part of the celebration, children also receive money and words of wisdom for the new year.

In Taiwan most people go home to celebrate the new year with their families. It's another country that strongly associates the holiday with food. Nian gao (dumplings) is the most popular dish, closely followed by pineapple. It's considered good luck to not eat all the fish and keep some leftovers from your holiday meals.

Most Taiwanese people spend time with their family and elders in their homes. They also exchange red envelopes during the holiday, and many neighborhoods set off firework displays.

In the Philippines the most traditional celebration of the Lunar New Year is called Media Noche, where Filipino families come together for a midnight feast to celebrate a year of prosperity ahead. The table is usually full of round-shaped fruits — a tradition that originates from China — as the shape represents good fortune.

One of the most unique superstitions of the Lunar New Year in the Philippines is choosing to wear polka dots, as their round shape represents prosperity, money, and good fortune. Fireworks are also often set off to create loud noises to scare away any bad spirits, while lights are turned on and windows and doors are left open. 

Singapore and Malaysia also have celebrations specific to their country to celebrate Lunar New Year.

When we put out a display we will use the title Lunar New Year, but most of the books we already have are about the Chinese New Year. You will notice that these new books that were published in the last year do use the term Lunar New Year

  

Older books:

5th January The Year of the Horse

 

Chinese astrology says the Year of the Horse will begin in 2026, signifying 12 months of freedom, energy and ambition. The horse is a symbol of strength, elegance and adventure. The horse is the seventh zodiac sign in the 12-year cycle.  

• The Year of the Horse  by Oliver Chin and Jennifer Wood

Lunar New Year feels later this year. It starts on Tuesday, 17th February and the celebrations culminate on the 3rd March when the Lantern Festival is held. 

Despite the fact that we will have been back at school for nearly three weeks by then, I will still start the library displays with Lunar New Year and a focus on Asian children and celebrations. Many of my students will have been to Asia in the school holidays. It is also a good time to display the bilingual books that are in Mandarin and English. The parents especially like these because they know the stories they tell.

As well I will display the library's abundance of books about horses. It is a long time since we did a horse display and we do have a number of children who like to read about horse riding. I wrote about horses on 12th December when it was National Day of the Horse Day in the USA. Here I wrote about the coming of the Year of the Horse and suggested picture books to include in a display. There is also an entry in the blog under 1st August , the Horses' Birthday here in Australia. These three focus books which pick up on the 'strength, elegance and adventure'  of horses could be a good starting point.

Strength

• Horse Power; How Horses Changed the World  by Jennifer Thermes

elegance

• One Horse Waiting for Me  by Patricia Mullins

adventure

• Lightning Jack by Glenda Millard and Patricia Mullins

And if you want to read about the adventures of 'real' horses here's some Australian gems:

• The Legend of Jessie Hickman by Mark Greenwood and Frank Lessac

• Phar Lap  by Jackie Karin and Patricia Mullins

• So She Did: the Story of May Wirth  by Simi Genziuk and 

Renee Treml

I have written about Lunar New Year in January of most years, but in 2023 I did more research than usual so as to cover any students who celebrated Lunar New Year, but who weren't of Chinese heritage eg Korean, Vietnamese

22nd January Chinese New The Chinese Zodiac (Part 1)

Chinese New Year 2023 falls on Sunday, January 22nd, and celebrations culminate with the 

Lantern Festival on February 5th, 2023. January 22nd, is the first day of the Lunar New Year, 

beginning fifteen days of celebrations in many South-East Asian and East Asian countries and 

communities around the world. There are different traditions associated with the festival, 

including different zodiacs for the Chinese and Vietnamese calendars. For most people, it's a 

time to spend with their families and eat delicious food.  

As the Year of the Tiger comes to an end on Jan. 21 and the Year of the Rabbit begins, we say goodbye to the roaring tiger and hello to the milder rabbit. The rabbit is historically known as the gentlest and most tender of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its attributes to each year.

The Chinese year of the Rabbit is the fourth year of the 12-year cycle of Chinese Zodiac animals. These twelve animal cycle exists because there is an old Chinese story  that the says the Jade emperor ordered a race to select the 12 animals to be his personal guards. The animals arrived in the order of the cycle. There are many picture books that describe this race. Here are some good ones to look for in the library:

•  The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang & Sally Rippin

This retelling of a classic Chinese legend by the current Australian Children's Laureate tells how the Jade Emperor has declared a great race: the first animals to cross the river will win a place in the Chinese Zodiac. Thirteen animals line up along the shore. But there are only twelve places to be won. Who will miss out?

• The Great Race: Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Christopher Corr

Celebrate Chinese New Year and learn how every animal earned its place in the Chinese zodiac by taking part in the Great Race! Discover who will come first to win the ultimate prize, and find out why Cat will never forgive his friend Rat in this ancient folk tale that has been passed from generation to generation. 

• The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Dawn Casey & Anne Wilson

Which animal will win the race and get the first year of the Chinese calendar named after them? Race along with Rat, Monkey, Dragon, and their companions while discovering the origin of the Chinese Zodiac. This bright and colourful book includes intriguing notes about the Chinese calendar, the festivals, and the animal that rules each year. 

• What the Rat Told Me: A Legend of the Chinese Zodiac by Marie Sellier & Catherine Louis

A wonderful introduction for young readers to the Chinese zodiac adapted from a Chinese Buddhist legend dating from the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). One day, the Great Emperor of Heaven invited all the animals to visit him on the Jade Mountain. Twelve animals came, and they became the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. What really happened on that day so long ago? The rat, who was there, knows the true story. 

• Cat and Rat: the Legend of the Chinese Zodiac by Ed Young

According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals of the zodiac were selected by the Jade Emperor after he invited all the animals to participate in a race. This is the story of that race, and why cat and rat will always be enemies. 

• The Great Race by Emily Hiles

As the new year approaches, each animal wants it to be named after them, but no one can agree. The Jade Emperor decides there should be a race to decide the winner, but who will win? 

• The Legend of the Chinese New Year by Susan Whitfield & Philippa-Alys Browne 

This is one of several legends used by the Chinese to explain the origins of their 12-year calendar. The author includes a list of dates, so that the reader can see which animal governs the year of his or her birth.  

• No Year of the Cat by Mary Dodson Wade & Nicole Wong

The Emperor has a problem. He wants his people to remember the year in 

which his son was born. But there is no way to keep track of the years. 

So the Emperor devises a race in which animals will cross a river. The first twelve 

animals to reach the opposite side will have a year named after them. Thus, the people will be able to remember the years and the events that occurred. And so the race is set. Rat, knowing he is no match for the rushing water, schemes with Cat on how to cross the river. Together the two convince Ox to carry them across. But halfway across the river, Rat shows his true colours. Will Cat make it to the other side? Which animals will have a year named after them? 

• Ruby's Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee & Joey Chou

Ruby has a special card to give to her grandmother for Chinese New Year. But who will help her get to grandmother's house to deliver it? Will it be clever Rat, strong Ox, or cautious Rabbit? Ruby meets each of the twelve zodiac animals on her journey. This picture book includes backmatter with a focus on the animals of the Chinese zodiac. 

See how many you have to choose from! Of course there are are picture books for each of the animals and I will write about them tomorrow.

Eastern Dragons Picture Books for Chinese New Year (Dragons Day 5)

Unlike European dragons, who breathe fire and must be defeated, Chinese dragons are well-meaning mystical beasts who breathe clouds, often appear in human form and are frequent characters in ancient stories. Here are some books that show young children Eastern dragons. Not all will be easy to buy, so the links are not always to a bookseller. 

• The Legend of the Chinese Dragon by Marie Sellier, Catherine Louis and Wang Fei

In ancient China, the different tribes lived under the protection of benevolent spirits that took the form of animals. To this day, the dragon is a symbol of peace and plays an especially important role in the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

• The Truth About Dragons  by Julie Leung and Hanna Cha

Follows a young child on a journey guided by his mother's bedtime storytelling. He quests into two very different forests, as his two grandmothers help him discover two different, but equally enchanting, truths about dragons. 

• The Water Dragon  by Li Jian

Long ago, in a remote village in China, there lived a kind and generous little boy. He spent his days in the forest, collecting wood to trade for food. One day, the boy made a wondrous discovery: a magic pearl that caused his money jar and rice crocks to overflow, both of which he shared with the poor villagers. But strange things began to happen. It no longer rained. The crops died. The rivers dried up. A terrible, water-spewing Dragon, took his magic pearl on a journey--

• Nian, the Chinese New Year Dragon  by Virginia Loh-Hagan and  Timothy Banks

It's only in the spring that Nian, a fierce dragon, is able to leave his mountain prison under the sea to terrorise the local village. When the villagers hear the rumblings of Nian's hungry stomach, they know that winter has ended and spring is coming. But this year on the night before the first day of spring, a magical warrior visits Mei in her dreams. He tells Mei that it is her destiny to face and defeat Nian. But she must do it within 15 days or the dragon will be free forever.

• The Nian Monster  by Andrea Wang and Alina Chau

Tong tong! The legendary Nian monster has returned at Chinese New Year. With horns, scales, and wide, wicked jaws, Nian is intent on devouring Shanghai, starting with Xingling! The old tricks to keep him away don't work on Nian anymore, but Xingling is clever. Will her quick thinking be enough to save the city from the Nian Monster?

• Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon  by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chia

The kids at Amy’s school draw western-looking dragons, and when they say her (Eastern-looking), dragon doesn’t look like a dragon. At home, her grandmother tells her stories about dragons that bring down the rain, fly without wings, and are wise and just. Not only that, she lets Amy and her friends play with a dragon costume of an Eastern dragon.

• Long Goes to Dragon School  by Helen Wu and Mae Besom

Long is attending DragonSchool and his fire-breathing classmates cook with their fire. But there’s a problem. Long is a water dragon– and doesn’t have fire…no matter how hard he tries. He finally admits to his teacher that he is different, and that’s when he discovers his own path.

• How to Catch a Dragon  by Adam Wallace

Set in China during the Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year, the wily dragon will have to avoid trap after trap as the kids run through paper lanterns, red lunar envelopes, fireworks, and more! 

• The Dream Dragon  by Yvonne Winer and Stanley Wong

'High in the mountains, where mists hang like spider webs spun across the peaks, lived a dream dragon. On silent nights she tumbled into the dreams of the people in a remote village ... One night the dream dragon did not come. Not only is this ancient Chinese tale beautifully retold, with vividly clear and colourful imagery, the story is intrinsically a story of hope.' 

• Gondra's Treasure  by Linda Sue Park and Jennifer Black Reinhardt

Gondra has inherited traits from both her eastern (Asian) dragon dad and western (European) dragon mom and enjoys them all. She's especially happy that she's a combination of both.

• The Sons of the Dragon King by Ed Young

The nine immortal sons of the Dragon King set out to make something of themselves, and each, with help from a watchful father, finds a role that suits his individual strengths.

• Little Sima and the Giant Bowl by Zhi Qu and Lin Wang

Little Sima’s village in China was suffering from a 100 years without rain. Then a wizard gave the Sima family a giant porcelain bowl. He said this gang would turn their luck around. Sure enough, rain started to fall. But one day, Little Sima’s friend fell into the gang. Can Little Sima save his friend from drowning without stopping the rain?

•The River Dragon by Darcy Pattinson and Jean and Mon-Sien Tseng

Ying Shao must make three dangerous trips across the river dragon's bridge before he can marry the lovely Kal-Li.

• The Boy Who Painted Dragons by Demi

A boy named Ping decorates his home with paintings of dragons. While they seem to be a proclamation of his love for dragons, they are actually an expression of his deepest fear. The Heavenly Dragon visits Ping after being impressed with the boy's outward declaration of love and respect for dragons and presents the boy with three pearls of wisdom.

• The Magic Brush  by Kat Yeh and Huy Von Leh

Tells the story of Jasmine, a young girl who learns Chinese calligraphy from her Agong, or grandfather. As Jasmine learns how to paint the characters for dragon, fish, horse, friend, and more, she and Agong are magically transported to the wondrous world they are creating.

• The Paper Dragon  by Marguerite W. Davol and Robert Sabuda

One day a messenger enters the village with terrible news: the dragon Sui Jen has awakened from its hundred years' sleep and is destroying everything in its path. Someone must find a way to return Sui Jen to its slumber. To the villagers, only one among them is wise enough to confront the scaly beast -- Mi Fei. 

• The Dragon and the Phoenix by Lesley Sims 

A dragon and a phoenix live on opposite sides of a magic river. One day they meet on an island and discover a shiny pebble. The dragon washes it and the phoenix polishes it until it becomes a pearl. Its brilliant light attracts the attention of the Queen of Heaven, and that night she sends a guard to steal it while the dragon and phoenix are sleeping.

• The Dragon Painter by Rosie Dickins 

Chang paints the best animal pictures in all of China. But when it comes to dragons, he has a problem. Why is he afraid to paint in the dragons' eyes? 

• The Pet Dragon by Christoph Niemann

Meet Lin and her pet dragon! When the dragon mysteriously disappears, Lin sets off on a journey to find her best friend . . . and readers set off on a journey of learning and discovery. By ingeniously integrating written Chinese characters into the illustrations as the story progresses, Christoph Niemann has created a book that is engrossing, unique, and memorable. The Pet Dragon is a playful introduction to the fascinating world of Chinese language and culture .

• Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain by Margaret Bateson-Hill and Francesca Pelizzoli

A beautiful story about a paper-cutting master Lao Lao 'Grandma'. Surrounded by children, making and teaching delicate papercuts. The greedy emperor hears about Lao Lao's skills and has her imprisoned not realising an ice dragon nearby is watching! 

Make a paper dragon This activity from Margaret Bateson-Hill's website gives you a template, but there are plenty of others to choose from too. Here's an easier alternative. Have some fun!