Chinese New Year Celebration

Patricia Barbara Vianney XI-MIPA

Today is February 4, 2022, which also happens to be Harapan Bangsa School’s annual Chinese New Year celebration. Despite the fact that the virus is still spreading this year, the Chinese New Year celebration was still held, but it was done online. Our school gathered people from all corners of the country, and we came together to celebrate Chinese New Year.

The ceremony began with an opening prayer for our event by our religion teacher, followed by three students doing the SHB Pledge in three different languages. The deputy school director, the principals, and the Chinese teachers then gave us New Year's wishes, wishing us to forget all the problems and hardships of the previous year and to welcome the new one with joy. The host then explained to us the origins and customs of the New Year’s Festival, as well as the origins of the New Year's Eve dinner and traditions.

Following that, junior and senior high school students presented us with Chinese calligraphy: “春联”. I'd like to share the work of Dinda, a classmate of mine. She showed us what she had written in fluent Chinese.

The host then presented the cartoon New Year's song “新年好” to us, followed by a piano performance by a student from junior high school. The tunes are very well-known in China. Then there was the recitation of an ancient poem presented by the students. After that, the host played the exciting dance program “飞天” for us, which was a visual feast.

There was also a display of handicrafts. Some people made various shapes with a piece of paper, such as lanterns and envelopes. Then, the show was coming to an end. The teacher played the final show for us, which was the Dragon and Lion Dance. The dragon and lion teams were composed of students from junior and senior high schools in our school. They had practiced hard for a long time and they successfully presented a wonderful performance. As the saying goes, one minute on stage is ten years of practice. 

In general, today's celebration was flawless and beautiful with some unexpected performances. I am very proud of all of the students' work, which included songs, arts and crafts, and calligraphy writing. This event can help SHB students exhibit their talents. Lastly, we all hope that in the coming year, we will be able to attend school and see the Spring Festival celebration.