The Snake Year New Year Celebration, hosted by the South Coast Chinese Culture Center and Irvine Chinese School, took place on January 25-26, 2025.
The two-day event featured a variety of activities, drawing full participation from parents and students.
Highlights included student performances in Chinese comedy, the tradition of eating dumplings, guzheng music, traditional dance, diabolo tricks, and Chinese martial arts.
Both Chinese and non-Chinese students performed the "Ancient Poem Chorus" and "Happy New Year," creating an energetic atmosphere with applause from the audience.
The event was held in the indoor sports arena of the South Coast Chinese Culture Center, where Yulan Chung, CEO of SCCCC, and Jefinner Su, Principal of Irvine Chinese School, greeted attendees for the new year.
The school also organized 15 fun "four-character idiom" games related to the word "snake" and its homophones, encouraging parent-child interaction and making the event more enjoyable.
The celebration kicked off with martial arts performances, including softball, knives, spears, swords, and staff, sparking excitement in the crowd.
Students from the South Coast Chinese Orchestra played flute and guzheng, while the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California performed the dances "Qiao Lingyu" and "Thousand Years After the Rain," earning applause.
Rap performances based on Snake Year idioms followed, including comedic skits like "as fast as a snake" ("蛇行似箭") and "a nest of snakes and rats" ("蛇鼠一窩").
The performances also explained the tradition of eating dumplings to invite wealth. Students performed dragon dances, chanted "Every street and alley" ("每條大街小巷") and "Happy New Year and Good Fortune" ("恭喜發財新年好"), and a children's choir performed the "Ancient Poem Chorus."
After these performances, four students showcased their diabolo skills, spinning colorful diabolos to popular music, captivating the audience and heightening the energy.
In addition to the performances, the 15 idiom-related games, such as "Everything is Snake" ("蛇”麼都有), "Double Snakes Playing with Pearls" 雙“蛇”戲珠), and "Oil-Tongued Snake" （油嘴滑“蛇"), were a highlight.
These games were both fun and educational, teaching students idioms while encouraging them to play and learn.
Parents expressed their gratitude for the thoughtful design of the games, which combined learning and enjoyment for both parents and children.
The celebration strengthened the bond between parents and students, allowing everyone to celebrate the New Year together in a joyful atmosphere.
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由南海岸中華文化中心與爾灣中文學校共同舉辦的2025蛇年迎新慶祝活動，1月25日至26日隆重舉行。為期兩天活動，內容豐富多元，吸引眾多家長和學生積極參與，現場座無虛席。
今年慶祝活動的亮點包括學生用中文說相聲、展示吃餃子文化、演奏古箏、表演傳統舞蹈、花式扯鈴與中華武術等精彩節目，還有華、洋學生共同演唱的「古詩聯唱」和「新年好」等問候歌曲。這些表演不僅展示了學生的才華，也讓現場氣氛熱烈，掌聲不斷。
這場活動在南海岸中華文化中心室內體育館盛大舉行，文化中心執行長鍾幼蘭與爾灣中文學校校長蘇依雯共同向家長和學生拜年，並精心設計了15項與「蛇」或與蛇諧音有關的闖關遊戲。這些遊戲不僅寓教於樂，還鼓勵親子互動，讓家長和孩子們都能開心參與，充滿歡樂的氛圍。
兩天活動均由南海岸中華文化中心所屬的中華武術隊，帶來精彩的武術表演，包括柔力球、刀、槍、劍、棍等項目，迅速點燃了現場的氣氛。隨後，南海岸中華樂團的學生表演吹笛和古箏演奏，南加中華舞團的美麗舞蹈《俏靈狳》和《雨後千年》，也贏得現場觀眾的熱烈掌聲。
除了武術、國樂和舞蹈表演，還有與蛇年主題相關的說唱表演。包括：用「蛇行似箭」、「蛇鼠一窩」等蛇年成語來說相聲、說明吃餃子象徵招財進寶的文化內涵，還有學生們精彩的舞龍、吟唱「每條大街小巷」和「恭喜發財新年好」，以及小朋友共同演唱的「古詩聯唱」，這些表演都充滿年味，並獲得觀眾的高度讚揚。
在一連串精彩的武術、歌舞和相聲表演後，學校安排了四名學生為觀眾表演單人、雙人及花式扯鈴。學生們熟練的技巧與熱門音樂的伴奏相得益彰，五顏六色的扯鈴在空中翻飛、盤旋，令人目不暇接，將現場氣氛推向高潮。
除了各項精彩的表演，十五項與蛇相關的闖關遊戲也成為了本次活動的亮點之一。這些遊戲包括「蛇麼都有」、「雙蛇戲珠」、「蛇我其誰」、「油嘴滑蛇」等，不僅有趣，還讓學生們在遊戲過程中學到了許多成語。
家長們開心表示，這些遊戲既富有教育意義，又充滿樂趣，讓孩子們在玩樂中學習，感謝學校和老師的用心設計，讓他們和孩子們共同度過了快樂的學習時光。
這次蛇年迎新活動不僅精彩紛呈，也加強了家長與學生之間的互動，讓大家在歡樂的氛圍中，共同慶祝新春。