Des Plaines History Center to offer Chinese New Year activities

Have your children ever seen what their names
look like in Chinese calligraphy? This activity is just one of many that will
be offered at the Des Plaines History Center’s Chinese New Year’s celebration
set for Saturday, Feb. 8, from 1-4 p.m.

Children and their families are invited to drop
in between 1 and 4 p.m. for an afternoon of Chinese art and culture. History
Center Board Member Juanita Soong will turn each child’s name into calligraphy
on a sheet of rice paper that they can take home with them, and she will create
some beautiful watercolors.

And that’s not all. “In addition to the
calligraphy and painting demonstration, we will have someone from the Des
Plaines Public Library read Chinese stories aloud to the children,” said Philip
Mohr, curator of the History Center. “We will also talk about 2014 being the
Year of the Horse and what that means to the Chinese people.”

Other activities include explaining a tradition
that involves red envelopes and coins. “The red envelope is a blessing from the
parents or someone older,” said Soong. “The kids will put the envelope under
their pillow to receive a blessing. On New Year’s Eve kids sleep late and pray
for their parents to have longevity.” Soong will also share a new perspective
of the word “blessing” in the Chinese culture.

So pack up your children or grandchildren and
come to the History Center, 781 Pearson Street, Des Plaines, IL, to celebrate
Chinese New Year. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $2 for
members and $4 for non-members. This event is designed for children ages 5-12.
For more information, call the History Center at 847-391-5399 or visit www.desplaineshistory.org.