Celebrating the Year of the Wood Snake.

A lot of people are afraid of snakes. They’re known to slither and surprise. But at Sidwell Friends School’s celebrations of Lunar New Year, the Year of the Wood Snake was all about ceremonializing the best of what snakes symbolize—their wisdom, elegance, quiet strength, and their ability to shed their skin and “sweep out the old while sweeping in the new.”

Lunar New Year—measured by the lunar calendar, based on moon cycles—is celebrated by several Southeast and East Asian cultures. Traditions vary across and within countries, but similar threads run throughout: rituals for prosperity and to honor ancestors, family time, and magnificent feasts. 

At the Lower School Lunar New Year assembly, these traditions and celebrations were on full display. “The kids love to learn and perform the dances, especially,” says Mei Li Costa, assistant kindergarten teacher. Costa led her students in the Chinese lantern dance, which represents the connection between the past and present. “Before the assembly, we read lots of stories and folktales about the Lunar New Year and the kids enjoyed making lanterns and discussing—with great seriousness—which red clothes they were going to wear.”

As part of honoring more Pan-Asian countries in the Lunar New Year celebration this year, the assembly included the Korean circle dance for the first time, performed by 2nd-4th graders. “Students love celebrations and assemblies always feel like celebrations,” says Lower School Music Teacher Matthew Stensrud who as the assembly coordinator works with parents on the assembly. “It is meaningful for students—for all of us—to see ourselves reflected in assemblies like this. For some students, watching a performance of the Korean circle dance may be the first time they have seen it outside their home or community. Like the ‘light’ we talk about in Quakerism, we want assemblies to be opportunities to share out the light in all of our students.”

The Lower School assembly also included young musicians on xylophones, a spirited rendition of the GongXi GongXi song by the 4th graders, a parade of wonderful handmade paper snakes, shared facts and insights, and a video made by the parents that showcased how Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other Pan-Asian students and their families celebrate the holiday at home. Some of students’ favorite parts of the Lunar New Year celebration? Eating a feast around a table to celebrate togetherness, singing and dancing, receiving red envelopes sealed with lucky money, and making and eating dumplings.

As is the case with many Lunar New Year celebrations, the big ceremonial lion dance is invariably the crowd favorite. Performed by members of the Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu School, the centuries-old dance is one of great athleticism, enthusiasm, and drama. Accompanied by the emphatic sounds of a big drum, cymbals, and gongs, the lion interacts with the “villagers” by dancing, batting its eyelashes, and spreading good fortune for the new year. And once it finally eats the dreaded lettuce—offered bravely this year by one kindergartener—the lion shares even more good luck by spewing mouthfuls of the vegetable into the eager crowd.

At the Middle School Lunar New Year assembly, the trio of performers from Chua Martial Arts, including Mater Chua himself, opted not to perform the lion dance this year, deciding instead to focus on the physical and mental practices of kung fu, its history, and the foundational stances—also used in performing the lion dance—that are based on those of various animals like the tiger, snake, crane, and praying mantis.

Choosing several volunteers from the audience, Master Chua and his colleagues taught the students the various stances, some of which involved flexibility and balance. With their newfound knowledge of the kung fu stances, informed by the statures and sensibilities of the animals, the audience was treated to several dances that portrayed the various animals. There was a fluid dance of the snake and another of the tiger and the crane, which underscored the hard and the soft sides of life. Finally, there was a powerful dance depicting five different animals, the performer portraying the physical movements and mental shifts as he moved from one animal to the next. At the end of the assembly, Master Chua wished everyone a happy new year and reminded them that the snake intentionally watches before it moves, looking back then forward. “The snake reminds us to think before we speak,” he said.

The community of Sidwell Friends wrapped up their celebrations on Sunday, four days after the kickoff of the Lunar New Year on Wednesday, January 29. Spearheaded by the Parents Association and Parents of Asian Students (PAS), families gathered on the DC campus to enjoy student performances, crafts, and food from many Asian cultures. There was even a wish box so attendees could make a wish for the new year and take a wish. 

“One of the highlights was watching the kids in colorful lion dance costumes dancing together in groups to a fitness song, with the audience standing up, moving along, and joining the fun,” says PAS Upper School Clerk Yan Xu, P ’27. “This performance was an innovative adaptation of the traditional lion dance and enhanced audience engagement and taught our kids teamwork.”

PAS Co-Clerk Nima Binara, P '28, P '30, added. “This event was a celebration of the rich cultural diversity that's such a strength of our Sidwell community. We were delighted to feature performances, food, and activities from Tibet, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, China and beyond, enjoyed by an audience of all backgrounds. Events like this allow our students to learn from one another, and help us foster values like peace, community, and equality which are so vital today.”