Lunar New Year Assembly

What

Lunar New Year Assembly

When

1/24/2020, 9:00 AM

Where

Eurythmy Room

In honor of this festival celebrated around the world, Highland Hall will host an assembly for the Lower School grades and Kindergarten, that will include 2 talented musicians, Zhiming Han and Cynthia Hsiang.  The High School Student Council is organizing a special event for the High School.

The Lunar New Year, is celebrated throughout East Asia. It is an opportunity to share our wishes and move with renewed spirit towards the days to come!  As we enter the year of the white metal Rat, we wish you a year of new beginnings. 

“The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) Zi (子) and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.

In Chinese culture rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus, and because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

Rats are clever, quick thinkers; successful, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life. Recent years of the Rat are: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020.” https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rat/

Often the Lunar New Year is a time for cleaning and preparing for the new year ahead, “ homes are thoroughly cleaned to rid them of “huiqi,” or inauspicious breaths, which might have collected during the old year.”  It is a time to invite in new experiences, and opportunities.  Families, friends and communities come together to make offerings, to feast and celebrate! 

Sincere thanks to the students, parents, teachers and welcomed performers involved in creating a special day for our students.