Chinese New Year Celebration at Middletown High School
Read the Chinese version here.
February 17 marked the start of the 2026 Chinese Lunar New Year, celebrating the year of the Fire Horse, the 7th animal in the Chinese Zodiac. Traditionally, strong fervor, enthusiasm, and dynamism characterize the Fire Horse.
At Little Lotus Academy, we take a classical education approach in our curriculum and consider it important to honor benevolent traditions. Naturally, celebrating the Chinese New Year with a school-wide feast with families and friends has become one of our annual traditions. I took some time to ask a few of our teachers with Chinese backgrounds what the Chinese New Year meant to them, and why they think it is important to share it among Westerners. Here’s what they had to say.
“Traditional festivals are very important in every country. Chinese New Year, similar to Christmas, is a time for celebrating the same creator. We gather with our families to enjoy time together after a year of hard work and to be thankful. We celebrate to keep our families together because in separation there is no harmony.”
“The Chinese New Year is a holiday similar in scope to Independence Day in the US. For Chinese people, it is very important; it is a time to connect with our traditional culture. We celebrate by sharing a peaceful, joyful, and happy time with our families, and everyone here in the US who is curious about the East.”
“Lunar New Year is the most important traditional holiday in Chinese culture. It not only marks the beginning of a new year, but also symbolizes a beautiful time for family reunion, gratitude, reverence for the divine, renewal, hope, and cultural inheritance. This celebration helps deepen people’s understanding and appreciation of different cultures, promotes cross-cultural exchange within communities, and embodies values such as harmony, respect, and coexistence among different ethnic groups.”
After our school's Chinese New Year celebrations, we also celebrated with the wider community. We attended an event at a local public high school, where groups gathered on a Saturday to share the customs and traditions of this special occasion in Chinese culture. We set up five booths, including one for fundraising. The games and crafts included lantern-making, “Pin the Tail on the Horse,” origami horse-making, bean picking, sugar painting, and lion dance lessons. The sugar painting station was especially popular. Overall, many children and their families enjoyed a joyful, memorable time participating in the activities.
One of the most impactful moments for attendees was watching our students perform the Falun Dafa exercises on stage. The children's sense of serenity and peace amazed the audience. During the presentation, the audience learned that the exercises are part of our students’ daily schedule, a unique feature of our school.
Our school choir also took the stage and sang two songs. “Happy New Year” was sung in both English and Chinese. “God Bless America” was sung in English. Our conductor, Mr. Reyshin Lee, is also our music teacher. Our students perform at many local events and enjoy singing in both languages.
Rep. Pat Ryan interacts with a Little Lotus student. Courtesy of Rep. Pat Ryan Facebook
Congressman Pat Ryan visited our area and praised our school’s mission and the vital role we play in the Middletown community. We appreciate his support and solidarity with our mission.
We look forward to the rest of the school year and hope to bring even more fun to the community through our summer camp starting the first week of July. If you have an elementary school-age child who needs a safe, enjoyable environment to spend their summer while learning Chinese language and culture, please learn more about us. We are also accepting applications for the upcoming fall semester. Happy Year of the Fire Horse to everyone!
— Virginia Blanco, English Coordinator
