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February: Festivals & Observances
Love is in the air! This February, we spotlight the importance of Honesty (信) as our value of the month, nurturing a foundation of integrity, openness, and trust among our children. Through engaging activities and meaningful discussions, we aim to instill the value of truthfulness in their everyday interactions. Join us as we celebrate National Storytelling Week (国家故事讲述周), a time to ignite the imaginations of our young learners. Embrace the festivities of Chinese New Year (春节) and the Lantern Festival (元宵节), where cultural exploration takes center stage. Children will delve into traditional customs, create vibrant lanterns, and explore the significance of these joyous celebrations. Feel the love as we explore the heartwarming traditions of Valentine's Day (情人节). From crafting heartfelt cards to expressing kindness, we celebrate the joy of friendship and compassion.
| February Educational Assets | February Festival Overview | February Language List | February Festivals Character Cards |
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30th January to 6th February - National Storytelling Week - National Storytelling Week is a celebration of the art of storytelling and the power of stories to connect, entertain, and inspire. During this week, people of all ages come together to share and enjoy stories in various forms, from traditional oral tales to modern narratives. Read more on National Literacy Trust!| National Storytelling Week Resources | National Storytelling Week Overview | National Storytelling Week Activities | National Storytelling Week Ideas |
1st to 28th February - LGBT History Month - LGBT Includes all areas of diversity and difference in the local community and the wider world, including family diversity. It aims to promote tolerance and raise awareness of differences in people's relationships. See more.
1st to 7th February - World Interfaith Harmony Week - World Interfaith Harmony Week came about as a result of a UN resolution for a worldwide week of interfaith harmony proposed in 2010 by HM King Abdullah II and HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan.
Read more.
2nd February - World Wetlands Day - February 2 is designated World Wetlands Day to mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Read more.
5th to 11th February - Children's Mental Health Awareness Week - Children’s Mental Health Week 2024 will take place from 5-11 February. Place2Be launched the mental health awareness week in 2015 to empower, equip and give a voice to every child in the UK. Every year Children’s Mental Health Week sees hundreds of schools, children, parents and carers taking part. Now in its 10th year, we hope to encourage more people than ever to help us reach our goal that no child or young person has to face a mental health problem alone. Each year, we create free resources so that as many people as possible can take part. Take a look at our resources for primary schools, secondary and high schools and families, parents and carers.
10th February - Chinese New Year - Chinese New Year 2024 falls on Saturday, February 10th, 2024, and celebrations culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 24th, 2024. Celebrations last up to 16 days, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday (February 10th–February 16th, 2024). Chinese New Year marks the transition between zodiac signs: 2024 is the Year of the Dragon; 2023 the Year of the Rabbit.
| Chinese New Year Resources | Chinese New Year Overview | Chinese New Year Zodiac Story | Chinese New Year Stick Puppets |
13th February - Carnival / Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day - Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten sacrifice, as well as eating pancakes and other sweets. Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Roman Catholics, who "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with." This moveable feast is determined by Easter. The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word shrive, meaning "absolve".
14th February - Valentine's Day - Valentine’s Day, when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. Given their similarities, it has been suggested that the holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I forbid the celebration of Lupercalia and is sometimes attributed with replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day, but the true origin of the holiday is vague at best. Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century. See Valentine's Day Activities here.
21st February - International Mother Language Day - This Day is observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. It was created by UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation) in order to promote the dissemination of mother tongues and a fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. For further information, visit the UNESCO website.
24th February - Lantern Festival - Lantern Festival, holiday celebrated in China and other Asian countries that honours deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the first month (Yuan) of the lunar calendar. The Lantern Festival aims to promote reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. The holiday marks the first full moon of the new lunar year and the end of the Chinese New Year (see Lunar New Year). During the festival, houses are festooned with colourful lanterns, often with riddles written on them; if the riddle is answered correctly, the solver earns a small gift. Festival celebrations also include lion and dragon dances, parades, and fireworks. Small glutinous rice balls filled with fruits and nuts, called yuanxiao or tangyuan, are eaten during the festival. The round shape of the balls symbolizes wholeness and unity within the family.
| Lantern Festival Resources | Lantern Festival Overview | Lantern Festival Story | Lantern Festival Riddles |
