Celebrate the Chinese New Year

The year of the ox begins February 12. In Chinese culture, oxen are honest and earnest. Celebrate this holiday by enjoying cuisine, participating in events and learning more about Chinese culture and traditions.

There are twelve zodiac animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, and each animal has unique characteristics. Legend says the Jade Emperor summoned all the animals to his palace, and the order in which they arrived determined the animal’s zodiac order. Have your kids research the Chinese New Year in accordance with their birthday to learn which animal they are. Find out more at chinesenewyear.net and chinahighlights.com.

Celebrate in Atlanta

Lunar New Year at Children’s Museum of Atlanta

Hear a Lunar New Year storytime, celebrate with bubble wrap fireworks and make paper lanterns. Feb. 13.

Chinese New Year at Atlantic Station

See Lunar New Year-themed décor and traditions, including a 90-foot red dragon with more than 25,000 lights and lantern shows. Through Feb. 28.

Celebrate Virtually

Lunar New Year Celebration

Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Chinese Cultural Institute and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America with video performances, demonstrations, crafts, coloring pages and more. Feb. 13.

Source: Wes Radez/chineseamericanfamily.com

Make a Good Luck Character Banner

Decorate for the Chinese New Year and introduce your kids to Chinese calligraphy with this craft. The fu character means “good luck” or “blessings.”

Start with a red sheet of construction paper in the shape of a diamond. Draw a light pencil line down the center of your paper to keep your characters properly spaced. Using a paintbrush and black paint, start the first character with a short downward stroke in the shape of a comma. The second stroke looks like a number 7. Draw a vertical line underneath the second stroke and in line with the first character. The final stroke is another comma shape starting from the juncture at the center of the character. Start the second character with a short horizontal stroke. Draw a rectangular box underneath. Draw a larger rectangle with only left, top and right sides. Put a horizontal bar in the middle of the larger rectangle. Draw a downward stroke through the middle, pulling the brush to the left and back to the right to create the bottom of the rectangle. Source: Wes Radez/chineseamericanfamily.com

Give Dim Sum a Try

Dim sum means “touch the heart” and is a Chinese meal of small plates including steamed and fried buns, dumplings, rolls and more served with tea and enjoyed with family and friends.

Takeout

Enjoy Chinese culture by getting delicious food you can taste at home. Call or check websites for delivery or takeout options.

Practice Origami

In the past, paperfolding traditions arose in Europe, China and Japan separately. Origami is the art of paper folding, and although it’s often associated with Japanese culture, the term has become inclusive for all paper folding practices. To celebrate the New Year and the year of the ox, fold paper lanterns, bull figurines, red envelopes, gift boxes and more. Find step-by-step instructions and projects at origami.guide, origami-resource-center.com, origamitree.com and paperkawaii.com.

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