Lantern Festival 2009

I hope you have a cloudless sky where-ever you are tonight.

Happy New Year

Best wishes for this year! May this day find you with the ones you love.

Some 2009 Chinese New Year events (NJ-centric)

NJPAC, Newark: Golden Dragon Acrobats, Sunday, February 22, 2009
From bending into improbable shapes to forming human pyramids on moving bicycles, this internationally acclaimed troupe celebrates Chinese culture with time-honored traditions that date back 25 centuries.

MHCS New Year Dance Party, January 24, 2009 (Saturday), Murray Hill Chinese Center (Contact Number for info & RSVPs: 908-660-4091, Email: principal@mhcs-nj.org), North Building, Watchung Hills Regional High School, 108 Stirling Road, Warren, NJ 07059

NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular 2009: (Visit http://nyspectacular.com/ for more information.)

Prudential Hall, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ. Ticket Prices: $118, $88, $77, $65, $40, $29.

• Mon, January 26, 2009 7:30 PM
• Tue, January 27, 2009 1:30 PM
• Tue, January 27, 2009 7:30 PM

or State Theatre in New Brunswick, (15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901). $88, $65, $50, $35.

• Sat, January 24, 2009 8:00 PM

• Sun, January 25, 2009 2:00 PM
• Sun, January 25, 2009 7:00 PM
  

I am sure that virtually all of the local weekend Chinese schools will be having events, but you may have to contact each school to learn details.


There are many events in New York City, including:

Chinese New Year Festivities: Lion Dance *,February 1, 2009 (Sunday), 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, China Institute in America (125 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065, Tel. 212.744.8181)

MOCANYC.org (70 Mulberry Street 2nd floor @ Bayard St. NY, NY 10013)

• Lunar New Year Arts Festival, Children’s Museum of the Arts, 182 Lafayette Street (b/w Grand & Broome), $10/each, Sun, Jan 18 from 12 noon – 5pm
• Lunar New Year Customs and Symbols, Thu, Jan 22 from 7pm – 8:30pm
• Lunar New Year Papercutting, Sat, Jan 24 from 2:30pm – 4pm
• Stories and Music of the Lunar New Year, Thu, Jan 29 from 4pm – 5:30pm (Join the Museum of Chinese in America and Seward Park Library for a fun after school storytelling, music, and art workshop featuring author, musician, and artist Mingmei Yip.)
  

For more around the country & the world, see Ray's great listing at Childbook.com.

2009 Lunar Calendar

Our annual pdf file showing the year's phases of the moon is ready. If you would like a copy, please post a comment with your email, or email me.

I love the look but it really helps show how each month of the Chinese calendar begins with a new moon. If there is a full moon, one knows it is the 15th of the lunar calendar. Children - and adults - always want to look at it when I take it anywhere.

Share ideas about how you use it!

Resources for Chinese New Year

Books appropriate for Chinese New Year.

My pages of CNY resources:

• Chinese New Year overview (lunar 1/1)
• Lantern Festival (lunar 1/15)
  
  
• Mostly Food
• Crafts
• Upper El Crafts
• Paperfolding
• Chinese Games
• Chinese Zodiac

Other Website Resources:
Books do not change significantly from edition to edition but websites can and do. I am in no way responsible for the content of other websites, but here are some I liked when I last saw them:

Wikipedia's Chinese New Year entry
Prof. Roth's Chinese New Year page
Web holidays's Chinese New Year
Chinese Culture Center's New Year Page

Last Updated: January 2009.

and the cycle rolls on...

Mid-Autumn Festival is behind us, and even the Diwali, the first festival of lights in the fall that I know is fading behind us. This means that many Hindus have started their new year and the countdown to Chinese New Year continues.

Autumn Moon 2008

The 2nd most celebrated Chinese festival is Mid-Autumn Festival, and it's only about one moon away now. This year lunar 8/15 falls on September 14th, 2008

You may want to start looking for mooncakes at the Chinese grocery store, review Mid-Autumn Festival information, decide whether you want to go into your child's school to celebrate, or even start talking to their teachers (the sooner the better on that one since it is "early" this year. I suspect many teachers might be happiest with just a special snack as they will be still getting their own routines set). Or, surprise some friends online with e-cards. You can set up today to be delivered on September 14th!

We still have a pdf file of 2008 showing how the phases of the moon compare to the 2008 calendar. If you would like a copy, please post a comment with your email, or email me.