On the 29th of January, the school came together to celebrate Chinese New Year, one of the most significant festivals in Chinese culture. The assembly was a fantastic showcase of music, traditions, and symbolism, helping everyone appreciate the depth of the occasion. From traditional instrument performances to discussions about customs like red pockets, the God of Wealth, and Chinese couplets, the event was both educational and engaging.
A Celebration of Music and Tradition
The assembly had two incredible musical performances that showed us the beauty of traditional Chinese instruments. Monica played the Pipa, while Hazel performed on the Erhu, a two-stringed instrument often called the “Chinese violin.” Both performances captivated the audience, showing how music plays a vital role in Chinese culture and celebrations.
We also learnt about key Chinese New Year traditions. One of the most well-known customs is the giving of red pockets (红包 hóngbāo)—red envelopes containing money, which are gifted to children and younger family members as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. Another fascinating tradition discussed was the God of Wealth (财神 Cáishén), a key figure in Chinese folklore who is believed to bring fortune and success in the new year.
Natalie and I gave a speech about Chinese couplets (春联 chūnlián), which are poetic phrases written on red banners and displayed around homes during the festival. These couplets often contain messages of happiness, success, and good fortune, and they play a significant role in bringing positive energy for the year ahead.
The audience also enjoyed a performance from the Prep girls who sung a Mandarin New Year’s song, bringing warmth and joy to the assembly. Their effort in learning the lyrics was very impressive.
I personally started learning Mandarin out of curiosity. As there are many Chinese people in school, The language is completely different from English, from its characters and tones to its structure and expressions. Taking GCSE Chinese made me appreciate the way Mandarin connects language, history, and tradition. While Mandarin is a very hard language for English speakers to learn, it is especially interesting when events like the Chinese New Year Assembly showcase Chinese culture.
As a British person, Chinese New Year is interesting because of how different it is from the way we celebrate New Year in the west. Here, New Year’s Eve is usually a one-night celebration filled with parties and fireworks, and most people go back to work or school the next day. In contrast, Chinese New Year lasts for many days, with each day carrying its own traditions and significance.
One of the things I find most interesting is Chinese symbolism. The colour red is used in decorations, clothing, and envelopes because it represents luck and prosperity. Food also plays a huge role, with dishes like dumplings (which symbolize wealth) and fish (which represents abundance) being central to the celebrations. Even cleaning the house before the new year is symbolic as it’s meant to sweep away bad luck from the past year and make way for good fortune.
One major difference between Chinese New Year and Western New Year is the role of the Chinese Zodiac. Each year is associated with one of twelve animals, and people often look at how the zodiac sign of the year might influence their luck. For example, 2025 will be the Year of the Snake, which symbolizes wisdom and transformation. In Western culture, we have star signs, but they don’t play as big a role in our New Year traditions.
Another interesting contrast is how modern technology is changing traditional customs. While red pockets (hóngbāo) are traditionally physical envelopes, many people now send them digitally through apps like WeChat. It’s a perfect example of how tradition and technology can blend together, keeping old customs alive in a new way.
The Chinese New Year Assembly was a great way to learn about and appreciate Chinese culture. Whether through music, traditions, or symbolism, the festival offers a deeper understanding of values that are universal.
Events like this assembly remind us why it’s important to learn and embrace different traditions and languages, as they allow us to see the world from new perspectives.
It is now the Year of the Snake and I hope more people feel inspired to learn about different cultures, whether through language, music, or traditions.
新年快乐! Happy New Year!

Sabrina
The lunar new year assembly gave me a chance to explore and represent my culture, as well as introduce people to my culture. Living overseas sometimes makes me feel like I am losing touch with my identity but having events like these makes me reconnect myself with my culture and be able to experience them in a different way, as well as be able to teach and educate people about something that is a part of me.
Charlotte
When I joined MSJ in Prep, I had the chance to learn Mandarin for two years. I greatly enjoyed learning the language, getting to know the culture and trying new things (The sweet, White Rabbits: which I love!) In the summer of Year 9, I began to learn Mandarin again, but drifted away from it as school studies took priority. Taking part in Chinese New Year celebrations at school allows me to get back involved with the language that I have always loved learning and a culture that I have always held a curious eye to. It provides an opportunity for me to enquire about all my friends’ cultures and celebrations as well as learning new words whilst improving my pronunciation. I thank Mrs. Wu for allowing me to take part and being so patient with me. I truly had a brilliant time working with the girls and the assembly brought everyone great joy. I look forward to what the Year of the Snake brings.

Jiayi
Chinese New Year was on the 29th of January. This year I were celebrating Chinese New Year in Malvern St James. The day began with a wonderful assembly. The amazing Erhu and Guzheng musical performance of Chinese instruments impressed and awoke me at the start of day. It was superised to see people playing those traditional Chinese instruments in the school. Additionally, I was impressed teachers and students from other countries spoke Happy New Year in Chinese accurately and influentially. At the end of assembly, there were also teachers brought red pockets to students, which is also a representative tradition of Chinese New Year. As I walked in the York Hall, I saw a lot of special Chinese New Year decoration, such as upside down “Fu” and spring couplets that written with different meanings. These decorations were even recognised in canteen! When I went to eat at lunch time, there were Chinese food, such as crispy hoisin duck pancakes, chicken bites with sweet and sour sauce and egg fried rice, etc. There were also fortune cookies, where inside it have a note with good wishing. Overall, I felt school brought me a lovely first Chinese New Year in UK.

Bella
It is my first New Year’s abroad. Although it far away from my parents, I still felt a happy atmosphere. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, my uncle collected me from school to home. When I came back, my auntie prepared a full of Chinese dishes for us as reunion dinner which included braised pork belly, scallion pancakes and so on which is delicious and good-looking. After dinner, they bought a status which symbolized good luck in all exams for me and my sister, we put it in the center of living room to wish it can bring a lucky for us. In the end of the day, I drifted into a deep sleep with blessings surrounding me. On Chinese New Year’s Day our school decorated all the dining hall with paste spring couplets. We ate egg fried rice, mango pomelo sago pudding. I incredibly surprised with the Chinese’s soup. On each table, I couldn’t believe they prepare red pocket for us. When I saw the social media which showed my friends who in my hometown spent their holidays with their family. I felt a little disappointed at first because I study abroad. But when I experienced the New Year surprises prepared by my uncle and my school, I truly felt the festival spirit of the season.