By: Jooney Freddieson and Aalovely Lor

Chinese New Year is one of the most important traditional holidays in Chinese culture.

It is typically between the end of January to mid February and in 2025, Chinese New Year was from January 29th to February 12th.

Every year, Highland Park Senior High School students and teachers celebrate Chinese New Year by performing dances as well as singing and showcasing a play.

( 舞獅 ) Lion’s Dance performed by Julian Falk & Liam Hefferan

The Lion’s Dance is not just a performance but it is a cultural tradition that traces all the way back to ancient China; evolving through each generation.

This dance is significant because when the lunar new year comes around the celebration is intended to ward off evil spirits.

The Lion’s Dance is not only filled with vibrant colors, but it is followed by loud noises, energetic music, and bright lights.

The lion represents a symbol of power, courage, good fortune, and protection in Chinese culture that chases away negative energy or “Nian”.

“Nian” is a mythical monster known to attack villages and leave negative energy in the beginning of the lunar new year, according to Kpbs.org. Which is why the Lion’s Dance is typically known to be performed at the beginning of the Chinese New Year event.

The monster is known to be scared of loud noises, bright lights, and bright colors, which is why the Lion’s Dance is a great tool to chase the monster away.

During the performance the dance was accompanied with loud drums played by two students, symbolizing the terrifying loud noises to scare away “Nian”.

The dancers mimic the lion by swaying, leaping, shaking, often in a playful manner. This adds an element of humor which entertains the audience.

It was cool to see how the music followed the lion’s movement as it got faster and slower.

Our favorite part of the dance was when the lion came close to the audience and interacted with them. The interaction between the lion and the audience created, and added, a more humorous atmosphere.

The Legend Of The White Snake was performed by Highland’s Chinese Immersion 11 class!

Their play gives us insight into the old Chinese folktale about an ancient white snake who transforms into a beautiful woman before quickly falling in love with a young man. 

Despite getting married, he was still unaware of her true form until a monk told him he wasn’t married to a human being; he was married to a snake.

The young man gives his wife wine which transforms her into a big white snake, causing the man to die from shock.

Even though her husband had played that trick on her, she still revived him with her own potion. Once awakened, he realized she was still the person he always loved, someone who’d never do him wrong.

The significance of the Chinese Immersion 11 class reenacting this folktale is that the new year is the year of the snake.

They executed this play perfectly by bringing up beautifully painted sets and a perfect script in between the mix of humor and accuracy.

One highlight from the play was the humorous switch when she turned into the big white snake. The crowd was definitely excited to see the wife go backstage and switch out with the masked snake.

Our favorite part of the play was when the white snake was battling the monk and his two guards for her husband back after he’s been locked up. The music in the background played a comedic role in the fighting; intense but random.

Here is the amazing Chinese Immersion 11 class!