LOTE (Mandarin)

Welcome to 2025!     

新年快乐! (Xin Nian Kuai Le!)

Dear Karoo Primary School Community,

Happy New Year and welcome back to another exciting year of learning Mandarin! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and is ready for a fantastic 2025.

To kick off the year, our Mandarin classes have been exploring all things related to Chinese New Year (春节 - Chūn Jié), one of the most important and festive celebrations in Chinese culture. Students have been learning about the traditions, symbols, and customs that make this holiday so special.

Here’s what we’ve been up to:

• Chinese Zodiac (生肖 - Shēngxiào): We discovered the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac and found out which animal represents our birth year.
• Festive Symbols and Decorations: Students learned about the significance of red lanterns, couplets, and other decorations that bring good luck and happiness for the new year.
• Traditional Customs: We explored various customs such as family reunions, giving red envelopes (红包 - Hóng Bāo), and dragon and lion dances that bring joy and prosperity.
• Chinese New Year Crafts: Students enjoyed hands-on activities, making their own paper lanterns and practicing Chinese calligraphy to write ‘福’ (Fú), which means good fortune.
• Chinese Character for Snake (蛇 - Shé): We learned how to write the Chinese character for Snake, discovering the structure behind the character. Students practiced writing it beautifully and understood its meaning as we celebrate the Year of the Snake.

We are excited to continue our journey of learning Mandarin and exploring Chinese culture throughout 2025. 

Wishing you all a prosperous and joyful Year of the Snake (蛇 - Shé)!

Ms. Cheng