The College was buzzing with excitement as nursery, junior and senior pupils embraced the spirit of Lunar New Year through a range of engaging workshops and activities. 

Primary 1 pupils were over the moon to welcome Lingzi Zou and Wei Wei from the Confucius Institute of University of Aberdeen for a fantastic morning of Lunar New Year workshops. After learning more about the celebration, the children had the chance to design their own Chinese fans before creating flying snakes. 

Meanwhile, S3 Mandarin pupils have been exploring ancient Lunar New Year poetry. Through readings and discussions with Mandarin Teaching Assistant Xiao Yang, the pupils gained a deeper understanding of the history and significance of the holiday, all while studying timeless words that have been shared during celebrations for centuries. Afterwards, the classroom was a hub of activity as they had the opportunity to put ink to brush and try Chinese calligraphy.

Some of our Senior School pupils also had the opportunity to participate in a Kung Fu workshop with Paul and Ian from Yee’s Hung Ga Ellon Branch.

Pupils throughout the College have enjoyed watching spectacular lion dance performances, and were captivated by the drums, energy and enthusiasm of the performances in the Quad and in the MacRobert Hall.

Mrs Adam, Teacher of Languages, shared: “Lion dance is one of the most popular traditions in China and many other Asian countries. This traditional Chinese art form, characterised by colourful costumes, rhythmic drumming, and energetic movements, added a festive spirit to our celebrations. Pupils and staff really enjoyed the performance and were amazed by the skills of the dancers. They learned the Chinese phrase ‘Kung Hei Fat Choy’ is one of the ways to say ‘Happy New Year’.  This event provided a wonderful opportunity for pupils to experience and celebrate cultural diversity in our school.”

Mr Campbell, Head of Languages, added: "We place great value on celebrating the cultural aspects of language learning at every stage. Events like our Lunar New Year celebrations give pupils the chance to experience the traditions behind the languages they study, enriching their understanding and complementing the vocabulary and grammar learned in the classroom. We’re particularly proud to offer Mandarin to our Nursery pupils as well as to Primary 7 who experience it as part of a rotation of languages, including Spanish and German, leading on from the P1-P6 French timetable. By the end of Primary 7, pupils will have experienced all of the Modern Languages offered in S1. Alongside their chosen Modern Language, all S1 pupils will also study Latin. In the Senior School, pupils can choose to study Mandarin at National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher levels, providing them with the opportunity to develop their language skills as well and gain a deeper appreciation of Chinese culture."