Last week was an opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year. This provided us with a chance to teach students more about the culture of China and other Asian countries, where this festival is important.  It was also recognised to be an important celebration in our own country, especially in large cities like London and Manchester.

Students and staff enjoyed a lunch of Chinese delights and everyone commented on how good it was to try new food, take part in some cooking and of course, learn and practise how to eat with chopsticks.

This is the Year of the Snake, which has, like all zodiac symbols, both positive and negative connotations. Snakes are intuitive, because they quickly sense risk. They’re very mysterious, but also very smart. People do find it helpful to link the year they were born to the Chinese year of the Zodiac and this helps them understand themselves better.  The symbols and their meanings can also help people navigate through different things that may cause uncertainty and help them to realise their hopes and dreams in the New Year.

新年快乐, Gong hei fat choy, Happy New Year!