Welcoming the Fire Horse on Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations in many Asian cultures: a time for family, food and fresh beginnings. This year, we welcomed the Year of the Fire Horse, a symbol of energy, passion, and bold action. At HTS, we came together as a community to honour and celebrate this special occasion through chapel, performances, dress-down day, and more. Here's a look at how we celebrated!

During chapel on February 9th, we kicked off our Lunar New Year celebrations with a special presentation with HTS students in each division. The Grade 4 students started by introducing the meaning of the Year of the Fire Horse and its unique characteristics. Following their introduction, Jayden N., a student in grade 6 this year, shared what it's like to be born in the Year of the Horse, his first time experiencing the zodiac cycle coming back to him at almost 12 years old. Ms Cheryl Wu, Mandarin teacher then shared some modern Lunar New Year traditions, from Shanghai Disneyland wearing festive designs, to symbolic foods like rice cakes and fish, and the beautiful lantern displays that light up the streets. It was a wonderful way to begin our celebration and learn about the deeper meaning behind the traditions.

To wrap up the chapel presentation, a grade 11 student, JoJo N., played a special video featuring students and staff from across our school community wishing everyone a Happy New Year in their language or community. It was truly heartwarming to see so many languages and cultures represented, such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese, and it reminded us that Lunar New Year is a celebration that brings people together, no matter where they're from. The video was a joyful finale to our time in chapel.

What better way to celebrate than with a dress-down day? Students and staff were invited to wear red, gold, pink, or yellow, which are traditional Lunar New Year colours symbolizing good fortune, joy, wealth, and new beginnings. Students of East Asian or Southeast Asian heritage were also invited to wear their traditional dress to school. Whether you celebrate Lunar New Year or not, the dress-down day was a simple but meaningful way for our whole school to feel connected to the holiday. 

This year's zodiac is extra special: the Year of the Fire Horse only comes around once every 60 years. In many East Asian cultures, this rare combination symbolizes unstoppable energy, rapid change, and bold action, but also unpredictability and challenge. It is seen as both an exciting and demanding time, one that calls for breakthroughs, resilience, and big growth. For anyone born in the Year of the Horse, 2026 also marks the first complete cycle of their zodiac, a quiet milestone that invites reflection on how far they've come.

In conclusion, Lunar New Year is a great time for us to celebrate, be happy and enjoy life! This is a great tradition to remember, and have a great Lunar New Year!

Contributed by: Jayden N., Grade 6 & JoJo N., Grade 11