Children taste traditional ways of marking Chinese festivals

Caption: Shot by Dong Jun. Edited by Dong Jun. Subtitles by Yang Meiping.

On Friday morning, with a big bang, an old man opened a hot black pot and the rice in it popped, buffeted by the air wave.

Students at Luwan No.1 Central Primary School in Huangpu District of Shanghai screamed in excitement and lined up in front of the booth to get a cup of Chinese "popcorn."

The traditional Chinese craft of making popped rice was a familiar scene for parents and grandparents at fairs during holidays but is rarely seen by children nowadays.

It's part of the school's fair themed "Chinese people, Chinese festivals" to celebrate the New Year, which had been organized annually before the COVID-19 pandemic for students to experience traditional ways to celebrate traditional Chinese festivals.

Besides popcorn, there were also lion dances, lantern riddles, face-changing performance, pitch-pot games and other activities, in which students can win snacks, such as candies and fruits, as prizes.

They were also able to taste food for different holidays, such as mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Day and zongzi (glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves with fillings) for Dragon Boat Festival.

At some booths, they can even try their own hand at making the snacks and food, such as spun sugar and sugar painting.

The fair was absent for the past three years due to the pandemic, so were parents.

"My daughter was in first or second grade when the fair was organized at such a scale last time," said a mother surnamed Zhang, who was one of the parent representatives invited to join the celebration on campus on Friday.

"She is now in Grade 5 and it's her final semester at the school, so I asked leave from work today to enjoy the special experience with her. It's really nice to see all the students are so happy today."