Children learn about Chinese Lunar New Year

Children clumsily tried to fish M&Ms out of bowls with wooden chopsticks Saturday at the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave. The object of the game was to transport the candy from one bowl to another and teach the kids how to use traditional Asian chopsticks. Once successfully moved, the prize was eating the candy. \nThis was one of the activities the Asian Culture Center offered at the third annual Lunar New Year Celebration for Kids. \nThe program was designed to teach young school-aged children about the culture and customs surrounding Asian New Year celebrations. \nThe Asian Culture Center celebration was organized by Director Melanie Castillo-Cullather and Programming/Administrative Assistant Mi-Young Kim, a graduate student. The event opened with Kim telling a story about the history of the Lunar New Year.\n"I love doing the program every year," Kim said. "I enjoy seeing kids come and learn about our culture." \nVolunteers from the Asian Culture Center organized four different activity tables. Children decorated and folded traditional red money packets, which are a symbol of good luck, and made paper Korean kites with bright ying yang stickers. To signify the year of the snake, the children made snakes out of paper rings. \nWhile people were moving from one activity to another, they could listen to the Asian music playing in the background and ask volunteers about their own new year's experiences. \nBloomington resident Angie Hoesman brought her 2-year-old daughter, Jana, and 3-month-old son, Cameron, to the celebration after hearing about the program from another mother at Jana's play group.\n"Bloomington has so many cultures," Hoesman said. "It's nice to be able to come out and learn about Asian traditions."\nThe lunar new year begins on the first day of the first month of the Lunar year, which falls either in January or February. The new year is a day of colorful festivities, including the familiar firecrackers and dragon dances. It is a day of traditional rituals, rich in symbolism, legends and superstitions, dating back thousands of years.\nSenior Monte Simonton brought seven children to the event. Simonton is the youth programmer for the Rise-Middleways Transitional Housing Unit.\n"I wanted to expose our children to cultural diversity, and this was a good opportunity," Simonton said.