Chinese New Year are holidays known by many Americans, but it is extra special to Chinese exchange students, Daisy Ge and Queena Lin.

This holiday commences after the Winter Solstice, and ends on the next full moon. It is one of the oldest holidays, dating back to 1766 BC during the Shang Dynasty. Some believe that a monster called the “Year” comes out to destroy cities on these days, but it is afraid of the color red and fire. This is why people often put out red decorations and celebrate with fire items.

Often times, they are off from school so that they can visit their relatives, watch TV with them, and eat dumplings.

Queena and Daisy are both sophomores who are new to Stratford. Their typical school day has changed since coming to America.

“The schools here just change different classes in different classrooms but in China,’’ Queena said. “We have a huge class of 50 people and we have the same classroom.”

Different teachers come in and out of the classroom to teach different classes.

Concerning food, the Chinese restaurants in America are mostly inferior  to Chinese cuisine. Queena said she ate at one Chinese restaurant in Atlanta, and she was disappointed to find that the restaurant didn’t serve authentic Chinese food.