Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is an essential component of Chinese culture that celebrates the coming of the new year on the Chinese calendar. This year, Chinese New Year is on February 12. Junior Linda Qu, recalls her Chinese New Year memories when she was back in China, saying, “the celebration lasts about two weeks: people would bring their kids to come to visit my family and talk with my parents for hours. We would also go to other friends’ and relatives’ houses; it was always a fun time as you get to connect with your friends whom you don’t usually see, eat good foods, and even make new friends.” Nevertheless, this year is somewhat different because of COVID-19, and Qu plans to stay at home with her family due to safety concerns. 

On another note, the PDS community is also preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year with excitement. The Chinese Club co-heads are organizing a virtual event in response to the ongoing pandemic. A pre-recorded video will be streaming on YouTube on January 18 at 4 pm. The hour-long video will encompass performances from all three divisions: the Lower School will be telling the story of Nian, which is a story entailing why Chinese celebrate the New Year; the Middle School will premiere a showcase of San Ju Ban, which is a traditional Chinese form of talk show; and the Upper School has prepared musical performances that include traditional Chinese repertoire, some even played on traditional Chinese instruments such as Guzheng. 

Since food is an integral part of Chinese culture, there will also be videos of PDS Chinese students making foods that are meaningful to them and to the celebration of the New Year as a way to make up for the loss of not being able to share the food in person. Finally, people from the PDS community will be sharing how they would celebrate the new year, and what this holiday means to them. Please look forward to further updates for the YouTube link and best wishes to those who celebrate the Chinese New Year.