Greenacres Celebrates the Year of the Monkey

Right after last week's snowstorm, Greenacres held its tenth annual Lunar New Year Celebration on the first day of the Year of Monkey, Monday, 2/8. Ms. Farella's second grade class led the lion parade throughout the school—armed with Chinese drums, gongs and cymbals.

Each year, many Greenacres parents collaborate to purchase New Year decorations and gifts; decorate the lunchroom, entrances and bulletin board; make cultural presentations in their children's classrooms; give out red envelopes, clementines and other goodies that symbolize good luck and prosperity for the coming year. This fun, festive holiday falls on a different day in January or February of each year. It is always something that the students look forward to celebrating during the cold, bleak winter.

Lunar New Year is the most important holiday for many countries in Asia which includes China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and other Asian countries.

This year for the first time NYC public schools were closed to honor Lunar New Year, a great expression of New York's embrace of its cultural diversity. The events in the city for the celebration included the Fantastic Art China exhibition at Javits Center North, a fireworks show over the Hudson river, an Empire State Building light show, lion and monkey dances at Lincoln Center and New York Philharmonic's 5th Annual Chinese New Year Concert.

Experience the culture locally at a Dumpling Festival sponsored by the Scarsdale Chinese Association and the Scarsdale Congregational Church on Saturday, February 27, 2 -5 pm at the church.