The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, on January 31st. In China, it’s also known as the Lunar New Year. Unlike New Years Day, the Chinese New Year falls on different days throughout the year as it is based on the Chinese calendar. It typically falls in late January or early February. While certain customs are followed by those of Chinese descent, you can celebrate the Chinese New Year whether your Chinese or not.
The Chinese New Year is generally celebrated for 15 days. It’s considered bad luck to clean your house during that time. Put away your dustpans and brooks, no sweeping is allowed.
2014 is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese calendar. One way to observe the Chinese New Year with little ones is to color pictures representative of the year. Here’s a 2014 Year of the Horse printable coloring page you can use for just that. Just click on the image, or the title, to open the pdf in a new window for printing.
You could also use construction paper, child safety scissors, and craft glue to help you make a horse head mask.
Chinese paper lanterns are easy to make from construction paper, and are often used to celebrate the new year. Red is an important color in the Chinese New Year celebrations, so you could make red lanterns.
Will you be doing anything special to celebrate the Chinese New Year this year?
Shecki says
Yes! 3 of my kids are from China, and we celebrate Chinese New Year. I’ve shared a couple of crafts on my blog, Peg People, and Good Fortune Signs. We’re also getting ready to make chopstick holders and I plan to take pictures of my Chinese kids in their silks this weekend. 🙂