2007 Lunar Festivals

China developed and used their lunisolar calendar to determine planting and harvesting times, and festival occasions. Although the western (Gregorian) calendar is used in China everyday, the lunar calendar is still important - especially for traditional holidays.

Chinese New Year (including the Lantern Festival on day 15), Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival are the most important and widely celebrated Chinese holidays. However there are quite a few other holidays celebrated by their lunar dates.

Sunday, February 18, 2007 - Chinese New Year, lunar 1/1, Year of the Pig, 4705
February 2007 - Common Man's birthday - This is celebrated more by Chinese in other parts of Asia, more than in China.
March 4 - lunar eclipse
Sunday, March 5, 2007 - Lantern Festival - lunar date 1/15 - This is also celebrated as a sort of Valentine's Day in some Chinese communities.

Tomb Sweeping Day April 5, 2007
May 1, 2007 (lunar 3/23) Tin Hau Festival - Taoist Goddess of the Sea and patron of fisherman. Celebration now is limited to smaller communities in fishing islands, or areas immediately around a Tin Hau temple. (There are about 60 temples in Hong Kong dedicated, at least partially, to Tin Hau.)

Buddha's Birthday (lunar 4/8) - This is now a public holiday in Hong Kong. In Cheung Chau, HK, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival is also held on this day, in honor of Pak Tai, the Taoist God of the Sea.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 - Dragon Boat (Tuen Ng) Festival - lunar 5/5, Considered the third most important Chinese holiday

(July 7, 2007 - total lunar eclipse)

Sunday, August 19, 2007 - "Valentine's Day" - 7/7 lunar
Monday, August 27th, 2007 - Ghost Day - 7/15 lunar
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - Mid-Autumn Festival - 8/15 lunar
Friday, October 19, 2007 - "Double Nine" Chong Yang Festival - 9/9 on the lunar calendar

Winter Solstice "Dong Zhi" Falls on December 20-22.

The 25th year of this cycle begins:
February 7, 2008 - Chinese New Year - lunar 1/1, Year of the Rat, 4706

Best Wishes for your Fire Pig Year!

I hope you are enjoying time with your family today.

Over 800 million people have been on the move to get home for this day - Chinese New Year - celebrated by almost one quarter of the world's population.

Traditional celebrations were for 2 weeks, but even in China they only get about a week off now.

Please be careful in your celebrations! Over 125 people in Beijing were injured by fireworks this year.

Children's Books: Zodiac Series

Oliver Chin is planning to write a children’s book for each of the 12 zodiac signs. He started with The Year of the Dog and released The Year of the Pig this year. He had events at Vromans Bookstore and Book Passage so their sites can show him and his children as well as the book title, of course a cheaper price is available at Amazon.

More Zhima Jie

An Asia Society's press release from ~1999 has lots of information on the details.
http://www.asiasociety.org/pressroom/rel-zhimajie.html

One review at IMDb said it was useful for introducing American culture to others, I disagree. Certainly that was not the goal of the show. It never was a direct translation of the American show as this review also states. (Although when we saw it in 1999, they still were using "American" footage. My understanding is that all of the overseas "Sesame Street" shows start out using American footage that is dubbed and create more and more of their own content over time.)

My previous thoughts are at Zhima Jie.

Lesson Plans about China

These are worthwhile lessons plans - but they sure don't fit into Chinese New Year Lesson Plans very well!

(Chinese) Math Lesson Plans

Math - award winning abacus site

Mathematics in China

(coming later)

• Inventions
• Tea and Chopsticks (While you're waiting, start with Asia Education's Chopsticks Lesson Plan and this 6^th grade lesson plan on The Tea Culture)

Language Arts and Comparative Literature - Big title for something we started in my house when the children were toddlers and pre-schoolers.

• Mulan as a Unit Study with links to other lesson plans & unit studies on China!
• Teaching With Asian Children's Literature: A Thematic Unit Of Study for K-6 includes Yeh-Shen
• Comparing Fairy Tales Across Cultures: Cinderella and Yeh-Shen
• An Integrated Unit on Friendship Implementing Asian-American Children's Literature.
• Dim Sum's Index of Lessons 5. Comparing Fairy Tales Across Cultures Lesson: Cinderella and Yeh-Shen, comparing Cinderella and Yeh-Shen, appropriate for grades 2-5, includes: 2 planning worksheets, Venn diagram template, list of versions of Cinderella from other cultures, 1 Internet link.
• III. Comparison of Different Stories includes Chang's Paper Pony.
• Women in Traditional China and their Portrayal in Chinese Folktales by Gale Billingsley

Yeh-Shen (Cinderella) probably deserves its own list.

Philanthropy

• Asian Fusion: "Through investigating traditional examples of culture and illustrating the impact of philanthropy in Asia, learners will gain an appreciation for Asian life and society. Learners will gain knowledge of the geography of Japan and China." Five 45 minute classes for middle school.
• Good Will: Three Chinese Stories: "The Chinese culture is presented through Chinese stories, old and new. The main character in each story is faced with a dilemma in which he must decide on the appropriate action to take. In each case the decision becomes a selfless act." Three 60 minute lessons for K - 2nd grade, using: Margaret Mahy's The Seven Chinese Brothers, Ying Chang Compestine's (The) Runaway Rice Cake, and Karen Chim's Sam and the Lucky Money.
• Chinese Proverb on Honesty: A 30 60 minute lessons for K - 2nd grade, using: The Empty Pot by Demi.
  
• Generosity of Spirit (Chinese Folktale): Two 55 minutes lessons for high school.

Art
Brushstrokes from West to East is a 43 page document containing Vermont-standards based lesson plans for K - 6, including kite & lantern making, paper cuts, clay dragons, clay teapots, and Chinese seals (chops) and calligraphy.

Sealed With A Chop - Use Model Magic to make your own chop. grades 1 - 6. Language & Art.
Simple "Chinese" Lantern - From Crayola & Michaels

Chinese Immigration - to America

• Teaching the Chinese Immigrant's Story - Angel Island (1910-1940)
• Moving Words: Asian Immigration

Also check out lesson plans for Chinese New Year. Many of them can be taught at any time of year, with little or no changes.

Lesson Plans added: 8/2007
Updated: 3/2007