Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year is a big deal in Indonesia, as they make up as much as six percent of the population.

 

At school, the combined the Carnival celebration with Chinese New Year.  It was a great day!  We wore our red and gold (OR our crazy costume), and the primary school classes had craft and cooking workshops.

 

The girls of CE2 (3rd grade)

 

CE1 (2nd grade)

 

In cooking, we made Yushen salad.. for good luck!  In the traditional version, there are 27 ingredients, each a symbol of something good for the new year.  For the students, we kept it simple:

• carrots - good luck
• sesame oil - flowing money
• plum sauce and honey - a sweet year
• crab meat - abundance
• sesame seeds - flourishing business
• wonton crackers - gold
• lime - good luck
• daikon/Asian pear - prosperity, eternal youth
• pomello - auspicious value

 

 

After assembling, you mix it with your chopsticks, throw it in the air (with your chopsticks) seven times, saying "Lo Hei" for good luck, then you eat it. 

The school also organized a traditional Chinese lion dance.  It was fantastic!!

The lions (two guys, front and back) did the traditional dance, which included jumping up onto the boxes and from one to the other "standing".  It was very cool! The costumes were great, the tails wagged and the eyelashes batted.  As a finale, they did Gangam style.. that was hilarious!!

 

At the end of the day, the kids did a parade for the parents to show off their outfits.  Very cute!

 

Overall, a terrific day! 

Gong Xi Fa Cai!