By Louis Luo | Communications Manager, China
In China, Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the year and, for children in OneSky’s programs, it is a time for celebration and fun.
In the child welfare institutions, OneSky nannies prepared various activities for the children, allowing them to express their joy and creativity.
They made pretend paper firecrackers, red envelopes, and New Year wishing trees, cutting the plum branches and shaping red clay into ovals to decorate the branches.
With the help of the teachers, they wrote their wishes for the year ahead using auspicious words such as “Fu (blessings), Tiger Year, Good Luck.”
The children folded red paper and cut it along the drawn lines with scissors, proudly making delicate New Year’s paper cut-outs. Together, the children and teachers assembled the red lanterns and hung them in the window.
“Hanging lanterns is a Chinese New Year custom, which symbolizes family reunion, prosperity, happiness, and completeness. It is a symbol of joy for the Chinese people,” the teacher said happily to the children.
Afterward, teachers gathered the children to experience the process of making dumplings, one of many important and much-loved traditions of the festival.
The teachers staged a pretend New Year’s market inside the welfare institution for the children, encouraging them to purchase food and snacks with handmade coupons. The children were thrilled to see so many varieties of food and actively took part in the market exchange.
In our Loving Families Program, the Spring Festival was also celebrated. Foster parents carefully planned activities to create a happy festival atmosphere for the children, emphasizing the significance of China’s most important celebration.
Foster moms and dads helped the children to make paper lanterns, Chinese paper-cuts, and pretend paper firecrackers while expressing their New Year’s wishes to the children. During the craft activities, the children had a lot of fun while enhancing their imaginations and hands-on ability.
“Let us welcome the Spring Festival with this traditional joy and new hope,” said one foster mom.
Thank you for your continued support of our Loving Families Program! For more information about specific sponsorship opportunities, go here.
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