ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Vooks Storybooks Chinese New Year for Kids: PoPo’s Lucky Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is a special time that lasts for 15 days. People spend 15 days getting ready and then 15 days celebrating! It’s like having Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day all at once. My grandma, PoPo, came all the way from China to celebrate with us. She says it’s a time for new beginnings and making sure we have a lucky year. PoPo is here to help me get ready!
PoPo says we need to clean the house to sweep out the bad luck. I sweep the dirt to the middle of the room and then out the back door. I even try to sweep my baby brother out, but PoPo says I’m being silly, so I sweep him back in and give him a big hug. We also clean the windows so good luck can come in.
PoPo says we can’t clean on New Year’s Day because we might sweep away the good luck. She has lots of funny rules about luck, and I try my best to follow them all!
On New Year’s Eve, we open the windows and doors at midnight to let the old year out. PoPo helps me take a bath and wash my hair three times for extra luck. I wash my baby brother’s hair too, but only once because I’m older and need more luck!
We eat special foods like a whole chicken to keep the family together and fish to have a good beginning and ending. PoPo makes long noodles because they mean a long life. I eat lots of noodles because I want to live forever!
We hang red and gold banners and make paper cuts to bring in good luck. I bought a special sign from Chinatown that says “luck” in Chinese. PoPo hangs it upside down because it means “luck has arrived.”
We don’t sleep on New Year’s Eve because it helps our parents live longer. I drink green tea to stay awake and watch PoPo and Mama play mahjong with their friends. Even my baby brother stays up!
On Chinese New Year’s Day, I run around the house shouting, “Happy Chinese New Year!” PoPo says the first person you see and the first words you hear are important for your fortune. I want to be the first person my baby brother sees, so I whisper nice things to him.
We can’t say bad words or think bad thoughts today. It’s hard, especially when my baby brother pulls my hair, but I try my best!
We wear new red clothes because red keeps bad luck away. I put red ribbons in my hair and a red hat on my baby brother. Red is the color of fire and brings good luck!
We give oranges to family and friends for happiness and wealth. I eat some too because I want to be super happy and rich!
PoPo says not to write in red ink because it means you want someone to go away. Oops! I almost made a mistake!
My favorite part is getting lucky red envelopes with money inside. PoPo says they bring happiness. I put them under my pillow so I won’t have bad dreams.
After all the fun, the house is quiet. A lucky new year is hard work! I put two red envelopes next to my baby brother and whisper, “You’re lucky to have me.”
If you love stories, ask your grown-up to find more fun books to read. Thanks for learning about Chinese New Year with me!
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, removing any inappropriate or sensitive content while maintaining the essence of the original text:
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[Music] Popo’s Lucky Chinese New Year [Music]
People spend 15 days preparing and then 15 days celebrating Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day all bundled together. Popo came all the way from China to celebrate with us in America. She says Chinese New Year is a time for new beginnings, and making sure we have a lucky new year is serious business. Popo is here to help me.
[Music]
Popo says I need to sweep out the bad luck before the new year comes. I sweep the dirt toward the middle and carry it out the back door. I also sweep out my baby brother, but Popo says I’m naughty, so I sweep him back in and rub his big belly. I make sure my window is super clean because Popo says the windows need to be spotless for good fortune to flow in.
I’ll finish tomorrow, Popo says. You can’t clean on New Year’s Day; you’d wipe out good luck. Popo has a lot of funny rules about luck. I want to be lucky, but following her do’s and don’ts is hard work.
[Music]
Do open the windows and doors at midnight to allow the old year to leave.
[Music]
Popo gets my bath ready and reminds me to wash my hair. I want good luck, so I wash my hair three times. Popo tells me to finish washing my baby brother’s hair, but I only wash him once and don’t use as much shampoo for him. I’m older, so I need more luck.
[Music]
Do not wash your hair on New Year’s Day. Popo makes a whole chicken so that our family will stay together. She prepares a fish with the head and tail still on so we’ll have a good beginning and a good ending. It’ll also help make our wishes come true. I cross my fingers; this adds extra luck.
Do eat lucky food. The last dish Popo makes is noodles. I want to break my noodles in half, but Popo says noodles should be long and unbroken, like life. I eat two bowls full of my long noodles and even eat my baby brother’s noodles too because I want to live forever.
[Music]
Do hang red and gold banners and paper cuts to ensure a flow of good luck and invite in good spirits. Snip, snip! Red paper and gold ribbons surround me. I’m busy making and pasting Chinese paper cuts.
I bought a special sign from Chinatown that says the Chinese word for luck. Popo puts this on her door and says she’s going to hang it upside down because the Chinese words for upside down sound like “arrive,” meaning luck has arrived.
[Music]
Do not sleep on New Year’s Eve; your parents will live longer lives. I drink green tea to stay awake past midnight. No sleeping for me! Popo says I have to welcome the new year.
I watch Popo and Mama play mahjong with friends. Click, click! The little blocks move quickly, and even my baby brother stays up.
[Music]
Finally, it’s Chinese New Year’s Day! Happy Chinese New Year! I make a ruckus running around the house.
Popo says the first person you meet today and the first words you hear are important to your fortune in the new year. I want to be the first person my baby brother sees today, so I whisper in his ear.
Okay, do not greet people in their bedrooms; it’s unlucky. I bring him to the living room where Popo makes food offerings to our ancestors. On Chinese New Year’s Day, Popo says I can’t say any bad words or think bad things. I push bad thoughts out of my head, but it’s hard work, especially when my baby brother is around.
I do not call him bad names, even when he pulls my hair. This is the hardest rule to follow.
[Music]
Do not cut away your good thoughts; do not use knives or scissors on this day. I wear my new red dress, and my baby brother wears his new red outfit. Popo says these are traditional Chinese clothes. She says children should have new clothes and new shoes for the new year, and we should wear red.
[Music]
Do wear red to keep bad luck away; it’s the color of fire. I string red ribbons in my braids and put a red Chinese hat on my baby brother. I wear his hat when Popo isn’t looking.
Do not use the number four in the Chinese language; the character for four sounds like the character for death. I fill a small plate with almond cookies. Popo adds four more. Four is unlucky, but eight is lucky.
[Music]
Popo counts everything she adds or subtracts to avoid the number four. My baby brother has four teeth, so I draw an extra tooth for him and tape it to his mouth. Popo says evil spirits will make an exception for baby teeth, so I tape it to his diaper just in case.
We make loud noises with firecrackers, dragon dances, and other celebrations to scare away evil spirits. I throw tiny firecracker snaps on our front doorstep to keep out the evil spirits. At the parade in Chinatown, I help the dragons chase away evil spirits.
[Music]
Do keep the leaves and stems on fruits and give those to married people; it means they will have a long marriage. Thank you, Popo! I hand out oranges to family and friends, giving them happiness and wealth. I eat a couple because I want to be happy and rich, and I eat more because I want to be super happy and super rich.
Popo tells me to give oranges to Mama and Papa. I use my brand new red marker to write them a card.
Popo almost has a heart attack! No red ink! She thought red was lucky. Popo says writing in red ink means you want that person to go away.
[Music]
My favorite part of Chinese New Year is getting the lucky red envelopes. Popo says Mama and Papa have to give lucky envelopes to little children, married family members, and their own parents. Lucky envelopes have crisp brand new dollar bills inside. I’m glad I’m not a grown-up because I don’t have to give away any lucky envelopes.
[Music]
From all my relatives, I have a mountain of red envelopes! Popo says I have to put them under my pillow so I won’t have bad dreams.
Do give children lucky envelopes because Popo says happiness comes in pairs.
Finally, the house is quiet. A lucky new year is hard work! I put two red envelopes next to my baby brother’s head and whisper to him, “You’re lucky to have me.”
[Music]
If you don’t have books, what are you waiting for? It’s a kid-safe, ad-free library full of storybooks that are brought to life. Ask your grown-up and start exploring more fun stories like these. Seriously, you have to check it out! Thanks for watching! For more stories, try the books app for free today.
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This version maintains the spirit of the original transcript while ensuring it is appropriate for all audiences.
