Lunar New Year – often called Chinese New Year in the UK – is an important event for our students, with more than 20% of our tenants coming from countries which will welcome in the Year of the Dragon on February 10th 2024.
Because of the cultural importance, CODE will be celebrating with parties at both our Coventry and Leicester sites, ahead of the big day.
At the event, students will get to enjoy a feast of dumplings – that they’ll make yourself – and a variety of delicious Chinese drinks such as Baijiu liquor and Tsingtao beer, as well as other soft and alcoholic drinks.
For students hailing from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia,
Thailand, South Korea it will be chance to be reminded of home – while those from
the UK and the rest of the world will get a chance to sample different
cuisines.
Entertainment
For entertainment, we’ll be challenging our students to sing their favourite song with their friends on our karaoke machine. Or for those who enjoy friendly competition, they can take part in our table tennis tournament, with cash prizes for the 1st-4th places!
We also have a “chopsticks challenge”. Although most students are familiar with how to use the utensil, this challenge will see them move objects between 2 bowls in the fastest time. We’ll also be sharing interesting bits of information. For example, did you know the humble chopstick has an interesting history, and dates back to around 5,000 years ago?
The first chopsticks – invented by Chinese ancestors – were
believed to have first been nothing more than a simple twig used to fish food
from cooking pots. They soon discovered two twigs were better for reaching into
pots full of hot water or oil, rather than using hands or fingers!
Other games on offer
We’ll also be playing Mahjong – the tile-based game that was developed in 19th century China and which is widely played throughout East and Southeast Asia.
Four players sit down with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols. Each player begins by receiving 13 tiles, swaps and throws out tiles, ending with 14 tiles. The aim is to form four sets and a pair – or one of the special hands! Don’t worry, we’ll have someone on hand to explain if you’ve never played before!
And if all that seems a little too exciting, we’ll also be providing everything our students need to practice the art of Chinese paper cutting. This activity dates to the 2nd century CE and was a way of decorating doors and windows as paper became more accessible.
You will recognise these elaborate cutting designs, which
are sometime referred to as “window flowers”, because they are made
of red paper, a symbol of luck in Chinese culture.
Book your ticket
All you need to do to attend this FREE event is book a
ticket on the link below!
If you don’t currently live at CODE, you could still attend, just choose a
guest ticket upon booking. We’ll send you information once you’ve booked on how
to get into the CODE building and the celebration itself.
Coventry: https://codestudents.co/lunar-cov
Leicester: https://codestudents.co/leic-lunar
