By Kate Hodges
18th January 2023
DO BAO BUNNY
Gung hey fat choi! Sunday is Lunar New Year, celebrated across South East Asia.
This year we say goodbye to the fierce, roaring tiger and hello to the gentle, loving rabbit (find out more about what the year has in store, and the characteristics ascribed to babies born in the year of the rabbit here).
Fancy hopping along to celebrate with the crowds? Head to Chinatowns in London, Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham to watch dragon dances, pop music shows and to fill tummies with dumplings and noodles. Or celebrate on a smaller scale at a museum or gallery near you – there are free parties in London at The Museum of the Home, which is holding a climate-conscious, Green Lunar New Year party on Sunday 28 and the event at the Maritime Museum this Sunday 21 is always spectacular. In Liverpool, the Lady Lever Art Gallery is set to celebrate on the 28th. Bristol Art Gallery will come alive to the sounds of live music and fun on January 28 and 29.
Partying at home? Why not try some origami? There are diagrams for each animal in the Chinese zodiac here. There are some great ideas for arts and crafts here – we love the very cute paper fortune cookies, – and this Chinese New Year–themed sensory dough. Find more party ideas here
We’re going to try out some vegan Chinese recipes this year – these mouthwatering Kung Pao Lentils, these eye-poppingly colourful Purple Potato Chia Buns and this spicy Celery Black Pepper Tofu recipe. Or make baby’s first stir fry!
EVENT GET UP AND GLOW
Make the most of the dark nights with a family trip to the free, dazzling show at Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights. The exhibits combine spectacle with thought-provoking art, and an evening wrapped up in scarves and hats, wandering around is a joy.Meet a family of giant mammoths, walk through a fibre-optic tunnel, goggle at a crystal greenhouse, or see a glowing planet Earth. Until January 28, free.
DO GREAT SCOTS
Next Wednesday is Burns Night! Party at home with a delicious vegan haggis, neeps and tatties, and play silly haggis games or liven up your lessons with these fun downloadable quizzes, posters and writing prompts or these teaching resources. Alternatively, take in multi-media art installations, family friendly shows and live performances online at Edinburgh’s Burns&Beyond festival, Dumfries’ Big Burns Supper or enjoy free online and real-world performances Glasgow’s Celtic Connections. Find more Burns events here
DO WELSH LOVE
Wednesday is also Dydd Santes Dwynwen, St Dwynwen’s Day, the Welsh equivalent of Valentine’s. It celebrates Dwynwen, the Welsh saint of lovers. One of the most romantic Welsh traditions is the giving of wooden love spoons, intricately carved in Celtic knots, floral crests and open linked chains. If you’re handy with wood, you might like trying to make your own (or sign up to St Fagan’s course ) alternatively, try creating yours out from card and egg cartons or create a virtual version to send a loved one.
EVENT LEAP YEAR The Vault Festival takes place at venues around Waterloo in London, including the tunnels beneath the railway station. There’s a juicy selection of comedy, dance, drama and disco events for all the family. Teens will love All Falls Down, a fully improvised, immersive horror story, while CABABABARAVE is a baby friendly cabaret show interspersed with sensory moments and ending in a rave, while Cirque du Temps are looking for a young souls to join the long-dead performers in their circus. See the family line-up here and the full programme here
WHAT WE’RE EATING Parsnip, Chestnut & Cranberry Bake Celebrate Veganuary with Katy Beskow as she invites us into her kitchen and shares her secret for quick, easy meat-free feasts.This warming winter roast is comforting, balanced and so easy to make. Delicious alone, or served with gravy. Find the recipe here
WHAT WE’RE READING Girl, nine, finds megalodon shark tooth on Maryland beach: “Amateur fossil hunters dream of finding the ancient and the rare. One little girl spoke it into existence. Molly Sampson, nine, was on a Christmas Day visit to Calvert Beach in Maryland, and told her mother she was “looking for a Meg”. Wading in knee-deep waters, that’s exactly what she found: a tooth belonging to the now-extinct Otodus megalodon shark species. A local marine museum’s curator called it a “once-in-a-lifetime kind of find”. Read more here
