Temple Fair｜Lucky Steeds Usher in Spring to Celebrate the New Year; Family and School Unite to Pass on Cultural Heritage!

Setting Sail on the Sea of Education
to Embark on a New Journey
Amidst Neighing Horses and Whistling Winds,
We Cultivate Future Pillars

As the footsteps of the Lunar New Year of the Horse draw near, the Harrow Beijing campus has long since donned its festive attire, with a rich festive atmosphere quietly permeating every space. As an important carrier for deeply cultivating traditional Chinese culture education, Harrow Beijing took “Lucky Steeds Ushering in Spring” as the theme to jointly create a campus temple fair and cultural grand ceremony integrating cultural experiences, fun interactions, and home-school warmth.

With the concerted efforts of all teachers, students, and parent volunteers, this grand ceremony not only allowed the children to immersively feel the depth of traditional festivals but also witnessed the profound power of home-school co-education

Upper School

In the Upper School Temple Fair, teachers and parent volunteers worked in perfect harmony to build a joyous stage for the children where tradition and modernity blended.

Student leaders transformed into “Cultural Managers,” joining hands with parent volunteers to run featured stalls: in the elegant scene of the Pitch-pot archery ritual, parent volunteers patiently explained the origins of the etiquette; amidst the lively scene of spinning diabolos, moms from the Parent Committee transformed into “exclusive coaches,” guiding children hand-in-hand to master the skills; while shuttlecocks flew through the air, laughter echoed through the campus. Teachers and students of the Etiquette Society cooperated fully with parent volunteers, allowing children to touch the temperature of traditional culture through hands-on practices like rubbing paintings and guessing lantern riddles; in front of the “A Bite of Tradition” food stalls, children tasted the inheritance of the New Year flavor while feasting to their hearts’ content.

Away from the hustle and bustle, the tranquil cultural experience area also relied on the joint efforts of teachers and students. Traditional board games, ink wash painting creation, and challenges with Luban locks and Nine-linked rings imbued every activity with warmth and texture.

Lower School

In the Lower School Temple Fair, teachers and parent volunteers divided the work and cooperated, overflowing with childlike innocence and joy. Centered on traditional cultural experiences, the temple fair set up rich and diverse fun segments, and the figures of parent volunteers were also active in every corner:

In the handicraft activity area, they assisted children in fixing rubbing paper and guiding the creative matching of horse hanging ornaments; at the sites of classic games like Pitch-pot and coin tossing, teachers acted as “referees” and “playmates,” patiently explaining rules and enthusiastically cheering them on, allowing children to feel the unique charm of traditional games amidst laughter and interaction. While cultural activities were underway, the students’ artistic performances took the stage in turn, with lively dance moves and loud, clear singing voices fully displaying the spirited enthusiasm of youth.

Kindergarten New Year Activities

As the New Year approaches, the festive flavor grows stronger. To let children feel the celebratory atmosphere of the Chinese New Year, the Kindergarten launched Chinese New Year themed activities. During the activities, children experienced making dumplings, feeling the joy of reunion and sharing through kneading and wrapping; subsequently, they decorated the “Wanzi” knots symbolizing auspiciousness, experiencing the charm of traditional handicrafts. In the art creation session, children in the Pre-Nursery and Nursery classes completed Song Brocade Horse collages, while children in Reception and Year 1 made pearl collage paintings; through these activities, the children learned about traditional patterns and used sparkling colors to express beautiful wishes for the New Year.

Through diverse practical activities, children not only harvested happiness and a sense of achievement but also felt the warmth of traditional Chinese culture during the experience. The Horse symbolizes courage and hope; may the children move forward bravely and grow happily like little horses, enjoying health, peace, and constant smiles in the new year.

Dragon and Lion Dance

In addition to the themed temple fair, the climax of Harrow Beijing’s Spring Festival celebrations was the gathering of all teachers and students on the playground to witness the visual feast of the Dragon and Lion Dance jointly presented by the six House representative teams of the Upper School. With long dragons tossing and mighty lions leaping, students and coaches cooperated tacitly, vividly interpreting Harrow Beijing’s core value of “Fellowship.”

Harrow Beijing’s series of Spring Festival celebration activities used culture as a bridge to condense strong home-school affection, allowing children to feel the charm and warmth of traditional Chinese culture in an immersive experience. Harrow Beijing always believes that the inheritance of traditional culture cannot exist without the resonance between home and school. In this event, the enthusiastic support, full devotion, and selfless dedication of the “Friends of Harrow” volunteers made this power of cultural inheritance even more profound.

With the Horse treading on the flying swallow (signifying rapid progress), all things are renewed. This event, full of New Year flavor, not only planted the seeds of culture for the children’s growth but also made traditional culture a nutrient nourishing the children’s upward growth; in the future, the school will continue to take culture as its wings, allowing children to grow happily in the immersion of excellent traditional Chinese culture and, accompanied by home-school cooperation, harvest a more bountiful growth experience.

Wishing everyone in advance
Happy New Year,
Auspicious Year of the Horse
May you be happy every year,
and may everything go as you wish.