Chinese New Year!
Thursday February 19th marked the start of the new year in China and many parts of Asia. This year, 2015, is the Year of the Goat or Sheep. Many of our Year 6 pupils, born in 2003, are Sheep!
The Chinese base their calendar on the moon and there is a famous story telling how each of the 12 animals became part of the Chinese zodiac.
To see a video of the story, use this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/lets-celebrate-chinesenewyearperformance
In school, we will be learning about life in a Chinese primary school and how to say some words and phrases in Mandarin Chinese.
You might like to watch this video link at home, but remember to ask a grown-up for permission.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zdtjmp3
Look at these images to find out how to say Happy New Year in Mandarin Chinese, China's official language, but also in Cantonese, spoken in Hong Kong and southern China. There will be fireworks, many special foods eaten and celebrations with family will go on for 15 days.
Happy New Year! 新年快乐 !
Mrs McNamara
Look at the image of the single Chinese character. This is 羊 "yang" or "goat" in Chinese. See how the calligrapher has added two goat's horns!