Monday, January 23, 2023

Yesterday was the first day of Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities, among others. The New Year celebration is usually celebrated for multiple days and is a time for feasting and honoring household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors. Each culture celebrates the Lunar New Year differently with various foods and traditions that symbolize prosperity, abundance and togetherness. In preparation for the Lunar New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to rid them of inauspicious spirits, which might have collected during the old year. Cleaning is also meant to open space for good will and good luck. Some households hold rituals to offer food and paper icons to ancestors. Others post red paper and banners inscribed with calligraphy messages of good health and fortune in front of, and inside, homes. Elders give out envelopes containing money to children. Foods made from rice are commonly eaten, as these foods represent togetherness. Other foods symbolize prosperity, abundance and good luck.

The dance has been rescheduled for this Friday January 27th from 7:00-9:00. You can buy tickets at the door on Friday if you have not purchased them yet.

We will have our last spirit day, 1990's formal on Friday as well.

Join the Anti-Racism and Social Justice Book Club Wednesday at 2:00 in Ms. Larkin's room, Room 119. We just started reading Stamped. Anyone is welcome!