Chinese New Year Assembly

by Chin Wye Mun, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014

Photo Credit : Koh Jia Yao

The deafening sound of fireworks going off at ungodly hours, the surprisingly clear roads in the city and the influx of red all around - all these symptoms can only result in one diagnosis. With great pleasure, we would like to welcome the Year of the Horse and Chinese New Year. It's time for tiny red packets, mountains of sinful snacks and a rather poor hearing after all the loud fireworks and traditional festive music. Following the tune, Cempaka Damansara had our own celebration of the Lunar New Year on Monday, 27th January 2014, before breaking off for the week-long holiday. 

The assembly started off with a lively lion dance, performed by our very own Cempakans from primary school. The little lions were extremely adorable and did a good job of beginning the assembly. After witnessing the lion dance, we had Ashleigh Teng of Freshman performing the School Song in Mandarin. It was great to see another version get added to the many different renditions of the School Song.

Following the school song was the tossing of the yee sang. When the colourful ingredients are tossed, you may or may not have seen people competing to toss to the highest point. This is because it is believed that the height of your toss reflects the height of growth of your fortune. As such, it is natural that the table gets a little messy during this tradition. 

Photo Credit : Koh Jia Yao

Once the yee sang was tossed, the performances were cued to start. First up, we had the Primary Choir. They did a medley of Chinese traditional songs and I'm sure I speak for a lot of us when I say that their cuteness and adorable voices captivated our hearts. 

Photo Credit : Koh Jia Yao

The next performance proved that the talent doesn't stop at singing when it comes to the young ones. The Primary Orchestra performed a traditional medley, which had the hall swaying along to the bubbly New Year music in no time. 

Following the lovely orchestra performance was a solo by young Cempakan, Charmaine Koh who had prepared an amazing performance of The Moon Represents My Heart. Dressed in a dainty cheongsam, ready with a sweet smile and armed with a stunning voice, Charmaine was definitely a charmer.

After Charmaine's solo, Kaye Leong of Junior 1 showed that the oldies (not really old, but when you compare us to the primary kids, we've aged quite a bit) have some superb talents too. She performed a jaw-dropping cover of Harlem Yu's Qing Fei de Yi. Though Mandarin is not her first language, I would say Kaye covered the song just fine. She was powerful and light and her singing abilities are really commendable. She was accompanied by Ong Jia Ying on the piano, who also possesses admirable musical talents and achievements. 

Photo Credit: Koh Jia Yao

Finishing it off with a bang, the Form 5s presented us with a fun and vibrant dance performance. The performers were namely Chua Zi, Hana Hurst, Jazmyn Chang, Mithali Maya Mittra, Samantha Lee, Sharizah Shihab and Woon Tyen Yee. Their routine and music was modern with injections here and there of traditional sounds to match the theme. As always, the dancers left us in awe at their flexibility and smooth yet sharp movements. 

Photo Credit : Koh Jia Yao

That marked the end of the Chinese New Year Assembly. All in all, it was a great way to get everyone in the mood for the Lunar New Year as well as bring us all together in the festive spirit. I wish everyone good luck, good fortune and prosperity in the year of the Wood Horse! Don't be fooled or too taken aback by any horoscopes telling you you'll have a bad year. Your year is what you make of it! Happy Chinese New Year to all.