Sharing Culture and Traditions

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Last week, staff and students at Sir George Monoux College celebrated the first day of Chinese New Year on the 9th of February along with billions of other Chinese people worldwide. This event was planned in conjunction with the College’s own on-site North London Connexions Careers Centre with a purpose to raise awareness and appreciations of different cultures.

The college had been meticulously decorated with dragons, red roosters and lanterns to recreate the festive ambience, signifying the first day of spring or Chunjie. A wide variety of activities such as the giving of red packets or Hongbao, playing chopstick games, having names written in Chinese and discovering the Chinese Zodiac personality traits, all served to enable everyone to experience a dose of traditional Chinese custom.

Another highlight of the event was the Chinese food tasting stall where deep fried crispy puffs Yau Gwok and sesame cookies were distributed, representing wealth and prosperity. Red melon seeds were handed out to wish participants sincerity accompanied with traditional Chinese tea. Other main features were the exhibition stand which provides information about Chinese history, culture, music and interesting facts as well as a raffle held to raise money for the Tsunami appeal.

Rohini Simbodyal, the Chair of the Student Council said that as Sir George Monoux College enjoys a rich fusion of students from diverse backgrounds, this event represented a perfect opportunity to find out more about the Chinese Culture.

“Learning about and understanding each others cultures and backgrounds gives us a greater appreciation of each other,” Simbodyal commented.

Pai Pin