Happy Chinese New Year...

Cecelia and Fung from the Chinese School visited the White House Unit to tell this month's Hull in print news crew all about what happens during Chinese New Year. Happy New Year! or you could say "Kung hei fat choy!" The Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) starts on February 7th, and it's the most important of all the Chinese holidays. The celebrations last 15 days, beginning on New Year's Eve when there is always a big family dinner with lots of different dishes to eat. People give their houses a spring clean. People also set off fire crackers to brighten up the dark sky and keep away dragons! The last day of the celebration is known as the Festival of Lanterns. Good Luck If you visit the house of a Chinese family at this time of year, this is a symbol you may see. It's the "Fu" symbol and is the Chinese word for 'luck'. Families put it on their doors upside down so that good luck will come down to them. It's hoped that good luck will also come from small red envelopes with money inside which are given as gifts to children or young people.

Competition

This month we want you to send in a picture of the animal from the Chinese calendar of the year you were born in. Just create your design on A4 paper and send it, together with your name, age, and address to 'Art Competition', Hull Children's Fund, Municipal Buildings, Trippett Street, Hull HU2 8AA. Please send in your entries by February 29. The winning entry will receive a prize.

Winner!

We asked you to draw a winter picture and here are the winners who will each receive a prize. Winner Lucy Branton Runner-up Lauren Hunter Runner-up Birgul Onay

Chinese legend

According to Chinese legend, twelve animals were quarrelling one day about who should have a year named after them, so the emperor called for a contest to decide their order - whoever reached the opposite bank of the river first would be first, and the rest of the animals would be placed in the order they finished. All the twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. The cunning rat hitched a ride on the back of the ox and just as the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped off the ox's back and won the race. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second, and the Pig, who was very lazy, ended up last.

What animal are you? Rat 1984 1996 Ox 1985 1997 Tiger 1986 1998 Rabbit 1987 1999 Dragon 1988 2000 Snake 1989 2001 Horse 1990 2002 Sheep 1991 2003 Monkey 1992 2004 Rooster 1993 2005 Dog 1994 2006 Pig 1995 2007