Saint Paul School Macau held yesterday its one-day Chinese New Year (CNY – also known as Spring Festival) event on its campus on Rampa dos Cavaleiros in Areia Preta district.
The school’s principal, Fr. Athanasius Chen Xin Wang, said in a speech he hopes that students will enjoy the festive atmosphere of traditional Chinese culture by personally decorating and participating in the event, thereby inheriting the values of family reunion and gratitude embodied by the Spring Festival.
Teacher Man Lai Fan, who organised the event and heads the Catholic school’s History and Geography section, told the Post that the event has been held consecutively for four years. She said the event aims to allow students to experience the atmosphere of traditional festivals while also providing them with an opportunity to relax and relieve stress amid the pressures of preparing for exams like the Joint Admission Examination for Macao’s Four Higher Education Institutions (JAE). Man noted that Chen has been at the helm of the school since 2018 when he set up a team dedicated to Chinese culture, adding that there has been an active effort by the school to continuously promote Chinese culture through such events and activities like history quizzes. The initiative is striving to strengthen students’ sense of connection to their families and country, Man said.
The event featured around 10 activity booths and performances such as choral singing, float parades, drama performances, and song-and-dance routines, all aimed at welcoming the Year of the Horse, which begins next Tuesday.
Teacher Man Lai Fan (right), teacher Leong Sin Ion (left) and two unnamed students wearing traditional Chinese New Year (CNY) garb pose during a Spring Festival event at Saint Paul School Macau on Rampa dos Cavaleiros in Areia Preta district yesterday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
