Teaching overview

Learning points

  • The Lunar New Year always falls on a new moon and ends with the first full moon.
  • The timing of Lunar New Year was chosen to allow farmers some rest between farming seasons.
  • The Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in China and many Asian countries.
  • The Chinese have their own zodiac signs—12 different animals.
  • This year is the year of the tiger.

Curriculum keywords

  • Moon
  • Culture
  • Seasons

5 things you didn't know

Print the facts

When is it?

1. This year, Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday, February 1st.

Moon cycle

2. Lunar New Year is always between one and two months after the shortest day of the year in China, and always on the day of a new moon.

Farming seasons

The timing of Lunar New Year was originally chosen to let farmers have a well-deserved rest after harvest and before farming began again in the spring.

Zodiac animals

4. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger – one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. In China, tigers are viewed as a symbol of power, strength, and bravery.

Traditional meals

5. The Chinese traditionally eat dumplings at New Year as they are the shape of ingots, the country’s old currency – it’s believed to bring wealth in the coming year.

Spark a discussion

  • Do you know any of the other Chinese zodiac signs?
  • Why do you think winter is a good time for farmers to rest?
  • How do you celebrate the arrival of the new year in your own culture?

Twig Science: A Complete Pre-K–8 Program for the NGSS

Immersive Investigations with High-Quality Multimedia

  • Investigating, designing, building, and understanding phenomena
  • Hands-on, digital, video, and print investigations
  • Synchronous/asynchronous distance learning

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