It’s The Year of the Horse

Rising Phoenix dazzled on Friday, February 20, with their Lunar New Year performances. Lower School and Middle School students enjoyed a nearly 20-minute performance in the Sid W. Richardson Round Gym, and two “dragons” roamed the Upper School before their Community Time period. Ronan Acuña Guba ’28, Grace Kim ’29, Julia Pham ’28 and Catherine Zhang ’28 opened the performances by sharing a bit about the Lunar New Year and what it means. All four of the students are members of the Upper School Chinese Culture Club at FWCD. Nicole Masole-Rose, Director of Engagement and Inclusion, brought the troupe to FWCD for the fourth consecutive year.

The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of spring on the lunisolar calendar. Though this holiday is most important in Chinese culture, it is celebrated in many other Asian countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea, and Singapore. 

Festivities include parties, firecrackers, red clothes and decorations. Additionally, the unmarried or young are given bright red envelopes that typically contain money. These celebrations last for 15 days, and on the final day of the New Year celebration, there is a Lantern Festival in which people parade down the streets with lanterns and a dragon. 

A significant dance for the occasion is the “Lion Dance.” It is meant to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity and good luck into the year. 

Rising Phoenix is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the art of Lion Dancing. 2026 is the year of the Horse, which represents energy, movement, and a drive for success, making it a year to take risks and move forward in life.