Chinese and Lunar New Year

In alignment with our school's guiding statements, it’s important that we acknowledge and celebrate cultural events that are meaningful to the families within our community and embedded in our curriculum. Chinese and Lunar New Year is a joyful and significant festival we are thrilled to celebrate together at ENPS.

What is Chinese and Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population. While the official dates encompassing the holiday vary by culture, those celebrating consider it the time of the year to reunite with immediate and extended family.

Commonly known as the Spring Festival in China, Lunar New Year is a fifteen-day celebration marked by many traditions. At home, families decorate windows with red paper cuttings and adorn doors with couplets expressing auspicious wishes for the new year. Shopping for holiday sundries in open-air markets and cleaning the house are also beloved traditions. The Lunar New Year’s Eve reunion dinner is the highlight that kicks off the holiday, a feast with a spread of symbolic dishes, such as a whole fish representing abundance, that bring good luck and fortune. The fifteenth and final day of the holiday is the Lantern Festival, during which people have tangyuan, or sweet glutinous rice balls, and children carry lanterns around the neighbourhood at night to mark the end of the celebration.

In the Chinese zodiac, 2026 is the year of the horse. Different regions across Asia celebrate Lunar New Year in many ways.

Why Celebrate Chinese and Lunar New Year at ENPS?

Recognising celebrations like Chinese and Lunar New Year within our school community promotes intercultural understanding, respect for diversity, and appreciation for the shared values that connect us all: unity, gratitude, and looking forward with optimism. We also encourage you to head to the Mandarin page to discover how students have been exploring Chinese characters and decorations in connection to Chinese and Lunar New Year.

Special Assembly Next Week

Students and families are warmly invited to share their cultural traditions, performances and stories and wear a splash of red at next week's whole school assembly starting at 2:30pm (February 27th).

If you’d like to be involved, please contact Mrs King at  morgan.king@education.vic.gov.au before February 21st.

Celebrating Chinese and Lunar New Year reminds us of the light we can each bring to our community through connection, understanding, and respect.

新年快乐

Wishing you a happy New Year! 

Morgan King 王老师 

Mandarin Language Coordinator