Teaching About Chinese New Year
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Tamil New Year (Puthandu) - 14Th April 2021
Tamil New Year (Puthandu) - 14th April 2021 Tamil new year decorations (kolam) for Puthandu The Tamil New Year, Varsha Pirappu or Puthandu, is observed on the first day of Tamil month Chithirai, the first month as per traditional Tamil Calendar. Chitirai is an auspicious day for Tamil speaking people in India (Tamil Nadu) and across the world, especially in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa. In 2021, the date of Varsha Pirappu or Tamil New Year is April 14th. On this day, Tamil people greet each other by saying "Puthāaṇ du vāazhthugal!" or "Iṉ iya puthaandu nalvāazhthugal!", which is equivalent to "Happy new year". The day is observed as a family time. Households clean up the house, prepare a tray with fruits, flowers and auspicious items, light up the family Puja altar and visit their local temples. People wear new clothes and children go to elders to pay their respects and seek their blessings, then the family sits down to a vegetarian feast. Origin and significance The Tamil New Year follows the spring equinox and generally falls on 14th April of the Gregorian year. The day celebrates the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. There are several references in early Tamil literature to the April new year. Nakkirar, Sangam period author of the Neṭ unalvā ṭ ai, wrote that the sun travels from Mesha/Chitterai through 11 successive signs of the zodiac. The Tolkaapiyam is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar that divides the year into six seasons where Chitterai marks the start of the Ilavenil season or summer. -
Lesson Title: Celebrating the Chinese New Year Country: China Class
Lesson Title: Celebrating the Chinese New Year Country: China Class: Geography; art Grade level(s): 2nd Grade Goals and Objectives The student will be able to: Locate China on a map and on a globe. Learn respect and appreciation of another culture. Compare how the New Year is celebrated in United States and China. Name the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Create a paper wall chart featuring the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Tell the story of the order of the animal years in the Chinese Zodiac. Time required/class periods needed: 5 30+ minute classes Primary source bibliography: Maps, globes General Information Site: http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/ Other resources used: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/china/ http://www.dltk-holidays.com/china/pquilt.asp http://www.dltk-holidays.com/t_template.asp?t=http://www.dltk-holidays.com/china/imag... http://www.dltk-holidays.com/china/chinese_zodiac.htm Coloring pages of animals of Chinese Zodiac http://www.nickjr.com/printables/chinese-zodiac- coloring-pages.jhtml The Story of the Chinese Zodiac retold by Monica Chang (in English and Chinese) (Yuan-Liou Publishing Co. Ltd) Chinese New Year by David F. Marx Chinese Zodiac Birthday Calculator and Animal Trait Guide http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/ Required materials/supplies: Venn diagram, maps, globes, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, pictures of Zodiac animals, folk tale about zodiac animals, paper, printer Vocabulary: China: A large country located on the continent of Asia. Continent: A large landmass. Chinese New Year: A holiday whose date is determined by the Lunar calendar. -
The Mathematics of the Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Gregorian Calendars
Heavenly Mathematics: The Mathematics of the Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Gregorian Calendars Helmer Aslaksen Department of Mathematics National University of Singapore [email protected] www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/ www.chinesecalendar.net 1 Public Holidays There are 11 public holidays in Singapore. Three of them are secular. 1. New Year’s Day 2. Labour Day 3. National Day The remaining eight cultural, racial or reli- gious holidays consist of two Chinese, two Muslim, two Indian and two Christian. 2 Cultural, Racial or Religious Holidays 1. Chinese New Year and day after 2. Good Friday 3. Vesak Day 4. Deepavali 5. Christmas Day 6. Hari Raya Puasa 7. Hari Raya Haji Listed in order, except for the Muslim hol- idays, which can occur anytime during the year. Christmas Day falls on a fixed date, but all the others move. 3 A Quick Course in Astronomy The Earth revolves counterclockwise around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. The Earth ro- tates counterclockwise around an axis that is tilted 23.5 degrees. March equinox June December solstice solstice September equinox E E N S N S W W June equi Dec June equi Dec sol sol sol sol Beijing Singapore In the northern hemisphere, the day will be longest at the June solstice and shortest at the December solstice. At the two equinoxes day and night will be equally long. The equi- noxes and solstices are called the seasonal markers. 4 The Year The tropical year (or solar year) is the time from one March equinox to the next. The mean value is 365.2422 days. -