Beavers | Cubs (1 of 2)

February Chinese 12th Take part in a celebrated all over the world

This activity 2021 is the Chinese Year of the ! For this we have provided some contributes to the background material to help you celebrate the festival with your Beavers and Cubs, as well as following badges: some activity ideas for you to try

The Story of The The next day, the villagers returned back to According to the ancient Chinese legend, in their village, surprised at the undamaged ancient times there lived a ferocious sea scene before them. Soon, the villagers realised monster named “” with sharp teeth and that the loud noises, bright colours and lights horns. Every new year, the beast would go scared the monster away. Everyone was onshore and hunt people and livestock. Every overjoyed and vowed to celebrate the New New Year’s Eve, all the villagers would hide in Year in the same way every year from then on. the mountains to avoid Nian's attack Activity 1 (30m) One New Year’s Eve, a strange old man with Try some with the symbol silver hair and bright piercing eyes came to for “Good Luck”. You will need: the village. He was dressed in rags and walked with a stick. Everyone was so busy • Paper packing up to hide from the monster that no • Black Paint & Paintbrushes one cared about the newcomer. A granny • Ribbon/string/ blue tack from the east of the village came to the old man and gave him some food. She repeated the terror of the Monster Nian and told him to Using the example here as a template, paint flee with the others to the mountains. the symbol for “Good Luck” onto the paper. However, the old man kept his cool and When complete hang as a banner or put on smoothed his whiskers slowly, asking to stay yoyr window for Chinese New Year! one night in the old woman’s , and he would expel the beast in payment Activity 2 (15m) Chopstick relay! You will need: At midnight, the monster broke into the village. Everything was dark except for the one house with light. Approaching to the • Chopsticks and two large bowls house slowly, it found all the doors and • Cotton wool balls windows pasted with red papers and many candles lit inside the house. The beast Teach the young people how to use trembled and squealed, glaring at all the chopsticks, then practice moving the cotton strange things. Caught by rage and irritation, wool balls. You could have a race over Zoom Thought about it swooped to the front door. At that very or young people could challenge a family peer leadership? moment, a loud cracking sound burst in the Could one of your member! young people lead courtyard. The Monster Nian was gravely this activity for their frightened and fled through the dark night Section?

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Beavers | Cubs (2 of 2)

February Chinese New Year 12th Take part in a festival celebrated all over the world

This activity contributes to the With the finish line in sight, the following badges: The Story of The The story goes that a race was organised by uncoiled itself and frightened the the - who invited all the enough to slither into sixth, leaving its

animals in the world to take part. Twelve carrier, the horse, to take seventh place species turned up at the start line: a , , , , sheep, horse, snake, dragon, Next up were the sheep, monkey and rooster , , ox and a . As a reward for and this is a perfect example of teamwork. turning up, the Emperor named a year in the The three piloted a small raft which would zodiac after each one, while the race would see them across the river safely. Once on the decide the order each animal would be other side it was a dash for the finish. The placed. The course included a huge river sheep was first, followed by the monkey and which every creature, large or small, had to then the rooster so they took slots eight, nine cross and ten respectively

The exhausted rat used its cunning to Now we’re just left with the dog and the pig. persuade the kindly ox to let it sit on its head Dog owners won’t be surprised that the as it crossed. Rather than say thank you on playful hound was more interested in the other side, the rat made a dash for the splashing about in the river rather than finish with the ox not far behind. That’s why crossing it. This enabled the first 10 creatures the rat is first creature in the cycle, followed to overtake it. It eventually ran over the line in by the ox. Not surprisingly, the tiger ran a 11th place good race but the current in the river sent it a little off-course. It recovered enough to cross Which leaves the pig. The pig got peckish the line behind the ox and so comes in at during the race. After stopping for food, it number three in the Chinese zodiac became sleepy and dozed off. It did wake up after a while and managed to make it over the Next up was the rabbit. Also tired by the line in last place. The Emperor had almost race, it almost came a cropper in the river but given up on it but was happy to assign it the saved itself on a floating log and got to shore final space in the zodiac to finish fourth. In fifth place is the dragon. A kinder creature than legend suggests, it Activity 3 (45m) didn’t hesitate to divert from the race to Make these Chinese lanterns! You will need: extinguish a which was endangering the

lives of some nearby villagers. Once it got back on course, it saw the rabbit struggling • Paper or card (preferably red or yellow) and used its breath to blow it safely to shore. • Scissors The rabbit never learned who came to its aid • Stapler/tape & glue while the dragon was content to finish • Ruler Thought about peer leadership? behind it • Pencil Could one of your • Things to decorate your lantern with: gift young people lead The horse wasn’t far behind the dragon and wrap paper, washi tape, ribbons, sequins, this activity for their Section? thought sixth place was in the bag. However, stickers, glitter glue, small buttons, etc. it hadn’t noticed that the snake was saving

energy by wrapping itself around the horse’s See here for full assembly instructions! leg to hitch a ride

#SkillsForLife Scouts | Explorers

February Chinese New Year 12th Take part in a festival celebrated all over the world

This activity 2021 is the Chinese Year of the Ox! For this Chinese New Year we have provided some contributes to the background material to help you celebrate the festival with your Scouts and Explorers, as well following badges: as some activity ideas for you to try

What is Chinese New Year? Activity (45m) The Chinese New Year is the longest public The slat book was the first kind of Chinese holiday in . Employees have seven to 12 book, make from slats of or days off from work, and students have one and cord. This type of book is the reason that month of vacation. Tied to the Chinese Chinese writing is done from top to bottom, lunar , the holiday was traditionally a rather than from left to right like Western time to honor household and heavenly deities writing. The books were rolled up easily for as well as ancestors storage. You will need:

Chinese New Year typically begins with the • 5 slim wooden boards or thick popsicle new moon that occurs between the end of sticks per person January and the end of February, and it lasts • String about 15 days, until the full moon arrives • Black marker pen with the Festival of Lanterns. The also includes the Chinese zodiac, the 1. On each board, write one of the 5 Scout cycle of twelve stations or “signs” along the Values (Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief, apparent path of the sun through the cosmos. Cooperation) in Mandarin (Google will Each new year is marked by the help you do this!). characteristics of one of the 12 zodiac 2. When finished, cut a length of string and animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, tie to the first stick. Wrap the string snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog around the second then the third and so and pig on. Tie the string securely to the last stick and trim off any excess. In preparation for the holiday, are 3. Repeat with a second piece of string. thoroughly cleaned to rid them of “huiqi,” or Your book can then be folded up to store inauspicious breaths, which might have or opened out to read and should look collected during the old year. Cleaning is also something like this meant to appease the gods who could be coming down from heaven to make inspections

Ritual sacrifices of food and paper icons are Thought about offered to gods and ancestors. People post peer leadership? scrolls printed with lucky messages on Could one of your young people lead household gates and set off to this activity for their frighten evil spirits. Elders give out money to Section? children. In fact, many of the rites carried out during this period are meant to bring good luck to the household and long life to the family—particularly to the parents

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