Chinese Lunar Year, Spring Festival, and Lunar New Year are all terms used to refer to the festival celebrated by many countries worldwide, including Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, China, and more! The dates for LNY are different each year, as the Chinese calendar is based on the moon’s 12 phases which consist of about 354 days in a year. This is a time when families reunite together for dinners and gatherings to celebrate the new year!

Now let’s dive into some interesting facts about the year of the snake! This Chinese zodiac is most commonly associated with intelligence, creativity, determination, and love. Did you know that there are different types of snakes based on the Chinese elements (wood, fire, water, metal, and earth)? These elemental animals follow a 60-year cycle, this year we welcome once again the year of the wood snake. Celebrities born under the sign of the snake include Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso, Anne Frank, John F Kennedy, J.K. Rowling, Taylor Swift, and more!

HK has many unique celebrations regarding celebrating the LNY including fireworks (Jan 30th), the Tai Po wishing tree, the many distinct flower markets all over HK, and the CNY night parade in Tsim Sha Tsui.

This year the culture team at Island School set up an abundance of activities for the Island School community to enjoy during the CNY week. Activities consisted of photo booths, plushie stalls, lion dance, student and staff performances, and crafts stalls. The week ended with the annual LNY assembly featuring three unique chinese dances and dress traditional day, where students came to school dressed in an array of vibrant, colorful outfits.

Lastly, after interviewing Natasha Lam (head of culture) we were able to find out some of the challenges the team faced when organizing events like these. She said that common challenges consist of the organization of events, communication with staff/student volunteers, organizing the order of events, and publicity!

Now that’s a wrap for this year’s Lunar New Year article, filled with insights into celebrations in Island School and a ton of LNY facts!

https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/news/china/article/3295411/year-of-snake-2025/index.html

https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/events/celebrations/lunar-new-year-celebration

Some negative effects of watching reality TV shows include constantly comparing your own life to the lives of people in reality TV shows, encouraging aggressive behaviour, and addiction to watching reality TV shows. This can be seen from the show Keeping Up With the Kardashian’s. They live luxurious lives having everything a person could possibly want in life. After watching many episodes, it misleads us to think that wealth is the most important part in life, which isn’t, there are other values that hold more importance. This is extremely misleading to teens who still need guidance with their actions and need advice from trustable adults. The beauty standards in the show may lower our self-esteem and create body dissatisfaction among us teens, which can lead to us falling down the rabbit hole of dieting, having eating disorders etc. According to a survey conducted in the UK four in ten teenagers said that images on social media made them worry about their body image. Another example can be seen in Dance Moms, where the well-known Abby Lee Miller swears, shames the young girls’ body and constantly displays aggressive behaviour towards them. A research paper from Central Michigan University found that people were more aggressive after being exposed to a reality TV show that included verbal and physical aggression. Which is why we should always think twice before watching a show. The toxic relationship and constant arguments between the competitors in Dance Moms could possibly influence how we treat our peers/friends, we might subconsciously say something rude without even noticing. Lastly, watching reality TV shows takes up a lot of time since there are often many episodes and seasons, it can distract us from studying, hanging out with friends or doing other activities, which should be prioritised over watching reality TV shows. Since studying and getting good grades are the stepping stones to whatever we want to do in life. Staring at our screens for too long also isn’t beneficial to our eyesight. You might be wondering, “Why are we so addicted to reality TV shows?” The reason is due to the dopamine and serotonin released when we watch these action-packed shows. 

On the other hand, reality TV has its own benefits such as inspiring people to pursue their own goals and passion, entertaining us when we are bored, encouraging social interaction etc. After watching an episode of America’s Got Talent, do you feel inspired to try something new? Such as singing, dancing, puppetry, sand painting etc. Watching talent shows can expose us to unique talents which we probably never knew were a thing and encourage us to try something new, which is beneficial to our mental health. Seeing ordinary people achieve remarkable achievements can inspire us to work harder to reach our ultimate goals. Moreover, reality TV shows can be a good source of entertainment especially during typhoons, or pandemics. It can also be a source of comfort during hard times in life or relaxing after a long day of work. Furthermore, watching reality TV shows can strengthen bonds between you and your friends/family as it creates a topic to discuss about, you may talk about the competitors or teams that you think will win. Shows like Survivor and Amazing Race which take place outdoors also tend to encourage the audience to go out and explore the world with them as well. After watching the show, maybe you might be inspired to join the show as a contestant, who knows?

In conclusion, reality TV shows do provide entertainment, insights into different people’s lifestyles, and more. However, the drama and competition that happens in these shows may encourage negative behaviours. It is essential that we understand the negatives and positives of watching different types of reality TV shows and decide what is best for us. Will you think twice before watching some reality TV shows now?

Feeling stressed? Don’t worry, the perfect solution is to listen to music! According to the University of Nevada, “Music around 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronise with the beat causing alpha brain waves.” Alpha brain waves are present when we are relaxed and in a calm state. Although there are many ways to increase alpha brain waves such as meditation or exercise, according to doctors, music can also be surprisingly effective. For example, music such as jazz is a great tool for stress relief as studies prove that listening to jazz can reduce heart rates and bring people to a calm state. People find jazz music calming due to its use of syncopated rhythm, and melodic tunes. This is why many therapists recommend patients who suffer from anxiety or stress-related disorders to listen to jazz music.

We all have bad days, it is just a part of life. However, blasting some tunes in your room can help cheer you up! Despite everyone having different opinions on music that makes them happy, research shows that there are specific musical features  that tend to appear in ‘happy’ songs. For example, songs written in a major key are often perceived as happy music, because of how our brains process and interpret music. Faster music also tends to induce more positive emotions than slower music. Research suggests that most music perceived as ‘happy’ music tends to be performed between 140-160 beats per minute (bpm). This can be seen as true for Taylor Swift’s well-known song Shake It Off which is classified as a very happy song with a bpm of 160. Most importantly, you will have to listen to music you enjoy to experience benefits such as increased dopamine and reduced cortisol levels (stress). Now you know what songs to play when you are feeling miserable!

The swooshing sound of the wind, the honking from the cars, aren’t you bored of listening to the racket of noise around you? Well, listening to music will help! Although many people believe that listening to music drones your focus away, this is not true. According to a recent study, music increases your productivity by 7.4%. However, this will only happen if you choose a suitable type of music to listen to. For instance, music that is too slow may leave you feeling discouraged and drowsy, whilst listening to music too upbeat can decrease your concentration levels. The best music to listen to is a playlist of songs you enjoy, but have heard so often that you are already familiar with the beats and lyrics in the music. With this playlist, you will be able to play enjoyable background music that increases dopamine levels while being concentrated. Increased dopamine levels motivate you to achieve your goals – not to mention, this motivation can help with increasing productivity as well, which means that you can spend less time doing homework and more time doing what you love!

In conclusion, listening to music has many benefits but it is important to take note that  everyone perceives music differently and what you might think is calming might be distracting to other people. This is why you need to test out what type of music benefits you the most. Have fun experimenting!

Bibliography:

Releasing Stress Through the Power of Music | Counseling Services. (2024). Retrieved April 18, 2024, from University of Nevada, Reno website: https://www.unr.edu/counseling/virtual-relaxation-room/releasing-stress-through-the-power-of-music#:~:text=Sounds%20of%20rain%2C%20thunder%2C%20and 

News, N. (2023, April). Happy Songs: These Are the Musical Elements That Make Us Feel Good – Neuroscience News. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from Neuroscience News website: https://neurosciencenews.com/music-happiness-22910/#:~:text=Faster%20music%20tends%20to%20induce,Me%20Now%20at%20156%20BPM 

Schooley, S. (2019, February 21). Music and Its Effect on Productivity. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from Business News Daily website: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/11294-music-effect-on-productivity.html 

News, N. (2023, April). Happy Songs: These Are the Musical Elements That Make Us Feel Good – Neuroscience News. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from Neuroscience News website: https://neurosciencenews.com/music-happiness-22910/#:~:text=Faster%20music%20tends%20to%20induce,Me%20Now%20at%20156%20BPM