Walking into VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Chinese Public School on Fisgard Street is like entering a world of controlled madness.

ItB次元官网网址檚 not that the children attending here after their regular school day are misbehaving. But one senses an excitement in the air, not unlike the nearing of Christmas holidays.

ItB次元官网网址檚 the lead-up to Chinese New Year, which officially starts Sunday (Feb. 10) with the Year of the Snake. Student-painted banners in good-luck red adorn the classrooms and hallways. Women upstairs busily hand-wrap and boil up Chinese dumplings to hand out at break time.

A group of older students are dressed in red satin costumes as they demonstrate the dragon dance, the giant head bobbing and weaving like a punch-drunk boxer.

University of Victoria education major and former Chinese Public School student Gary Sum, 23, is one of a number of graduates who return to help with special activities, including guiding young students through the dragon dance.

He admits the students donB次元官网网址檛 get much time to learn the tricky steps and precision required, but once under the red-and-yellow tail of the dragon, they simply have to hope for the best.

B次元官网网址淥verall, this is a pretty exciting time,B次元官网网址� he says, acknowledging the buzz around this K-12 school.

The dragon dance is just one aspect of Chinese New Year the children learn about and practise, says school principal Kileasa Wong, sitting in a classroom in the heart of the cityB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown.

B次元官网网址淭hey do drawing and painting, and things like making lanterns and goldfish,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淲e talk about traditions and how to celebrate B次元官网网址�

Most of the students are already familiar with this time of year. Chinese families routinely spend about a week reconnecting with relatives, starting with a New YearB次元官网网址檚 Eve dinner, Sum says.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all about the celebration, food and visiting family,B次元官网网址� he says. While peopleB次元官网网址檚 busy lives make it tough to stay in touch through the year, he adds, B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really important to get together with family.B次元官网网址�

Chinese New Year presents not only a change on the calendar, itB次元官网网址檚 a time of renewal and hope in all aspects of oneB次元官网网址檚 life, Wong says B次元官网网址� a fresh start, if you will.

The various foods consumed, from chicken and fish to lettuce and bok choy, all symbolize hopes for good fortune or profit, while sweets and fruits represent wishes for a positive road the rest of the year.

Wong describes age-old traditions of receiving new clothes B次元官网网址渇rom top to bottom,B次元官网网址� good food shared with extended family and the traditional red envelopes with money inside.

B次元官网网址淲e would come home (after visiting) and lay all the envelopes on the table and count all the money we made,B次元官网网址� she says, grinning.

Lee Mong Kow founded the school in 1899 and was its first principal. Little record is available about how he celebrated Chinese New Year, either with students or personally.

Wong suggests that scarcity of both traditional foods and other items B次元官网网址� not to mention the reluctance by other residents of Victoria to fully embrace the Chinese community B次元官网网址� likely made it a more subdued event in the early 20th century.

In fact, Wong recalls that when she arrived in Victoria in 1970, there still wasnB次元官网网址檛 much hoopla surrounding the event.

B次元官网网址淐hinatown was very quiet at that time,B次元官网网址� she says.

TodayB次元官网网址檚 support of ethnic diversity and the active nature of members of the Chinese community make Chinese New Year celebrations popular in Victoria.

B次元官网网址淚 think we try to carry on the traditions more here than people in China,B次元官网网址� Wong says.

On a day meant to be one of rest, one of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 more active traditions B次元官网网址� the annual lion dance through Chinatown B次元官网网址� happens Sunday.

While children and graduates of the public school learn the dragon dance as part of their Chinese traditions, members of the Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club, operating out of Chinatown since 1974, have handled lion dance duties on the street for decades in the city.

Their colourful outfits, staccato drumming and train-like dragon performances are a big part of Chinese New Year celebrations, not to mention a much-admired part of the annual Victoria Day parade in May.

New YearB次元官网网址檚 festivities start at noon outside the school, 636 Fisgard St.

While he enjoys the festival nature of Chinese New Year celebrations, Sum comes back to the family aspect of turning over this cultural calendar.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a good time to look at your roots,B次元官网网址� he says of visiting relatives. B次元官网网址淎nd youB次元官网网址檙e always wishing for the best in the new year, or at least as good as you had the previous year.B次元官网网址�

editor@vicnews.com

Happy snake year

B次元官网网址� According to the website HanBan.com, this year is B次元官网网址渕eant for steady progress and attention to detail.B次元官网网址� It goes on to say B次元官网网址渁ncient Chinese wisdom says a snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址� Kileasa Wong, principal of the Victoria Chinese Public School, describes people  born under the sign of the snake: B次元官网网址淭he snake is known as the B次元官网网址榣ittle dragon.B次元官网网址� They are smart and quick-thinking.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址� Famous Snakes: Queen Elizabeth I (born 1533), Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929), Oprah Winfrey (1954) Sarah Jessica Parker (1965), Taylor Swift (1989), Daniel Radcliffe (1989)