On January 23rd we welcomed the Chinese New Year of the Dragon. This year is special since the Chinese dragon symbolizes power, dignity, and embodiment of virtue and strength. We wish great happiness and prosperity will be brought to us.
During the last couple of weeks, I have been introducing the
Chinese New Year to students at The Phoenix School, Shore Country Day School,
and my students at the Salem Athenaeum.
We raised the red lanterns, read stories, learned about the Chinese
zodiac, and made the dumplings. Students
learned to say dragon in Chinese: 龙(lóng) and write the character for good luck: 福(fú).
One question I got from students was: What is the Chinese dragon? Is it real? We learned that the Chinese dragon is
considered the largest divine animal in China and its most popular mascot. It has a cow’s head, deer’s antlers, shrimp’s
eyes, eagle’s claws, snake’s body, lion’s tail, and four legs with five claws
on each foot; its body is covered with scales. The Chinese dragon is a mythical
creature with inexhaustible magical power: it can walk on land, swim in water,
and fly in the clouds.
May you have a great happy New Year of the Dragon!
