1 . Summer is coming. Are you looking for a part-time job? Here are some possible options.

Lifeguard

Are you a strong swimmer and a good communicator? Would you like a challenge? We are looking for lifeguards for our busy summer season. No experience is necessary as you will get two weeks of training before you start the job. As well as being physically fit, you need to be available for work Mon-Fri, 7- 11 a.m.

Store assistant

We are looking for store assistants for our busy gift store. Applicants need to be reliable, friendly, and enjoy speaking to customers. A second language is preferred as many of our customers are tourists from other countries. The positions are part-time and you need to work from Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Fashion designer

Are you interested in the latest styles? Are you creative and good at art? If so, Dresswise is looking for a young person to create new looks for our teen department. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in the clothing industry. You will need to work four days a week and we’ll pay you for each design we use. We’ll also give you samples of your designs to wear.

Game tester

Are you into technology and creative? Would you like to play and test educational games and get paid for it? This is an exciting part-time job for somebody who loves playing games. We offer flexible hours. If this is for you, write a description of your favorite game and why you like it in no more than 150 words.

If you are interested in any of the above jobs, please contact us at studentunrion @campus.com.

2 . Auckland, New Zealand, Jan 29

A Chinese New Year gala, co-organized by the China Cultural Centre and the Huaxing Arts Troupe, was unveiled by Maori Haka. Contemporary dances, cross-talk, Peking opera, Qipao display and violin solo have featured the event, which won thundering applause from local audiences. “Tonight brings back familiar memories from my hometown,” said Sun, a Chinese born in Hubei.

Jersey, Britain, Jan 22

A traditional Chinese dragon dance was performed through St Helier street, which announced the start of Chinese New Year celebration. The event will last from Jan 22 to Feb 5, including tai chi performances, Chinese cuisine stalls and a photo exhibition. The local post office also issued a special stamp, featuring a rabbit holding a cabbage, illustrated by Chinese artist Wang Huming.

Paris, France, Jan 16

After a three-year interval due to the COVID-19, people gathered again to celebrate Chinese New Year. The French capital’s Chinatown has organized a series of celebrations that last from Jan 16 through Saturday including exhibitions of hanfu, music concerts and shows with Franco-Chinese comedians. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, was present for a parade which attracted over 20, 000 people.

Suva, Republic of Fiji, Feb 5

A Lantern Festival gala was hosted in the Republic of Fiji on Feb 5, joined by about 300 government officials and representatives from Fiji’s Chinese communities. President Maivalili Katonivere, along with first lady, attended the event and gave a speech, in which he said the Lantern Festival is important as the lanterns play a vital role in lighting the path ahead, signifying hope and good fortune.

3 . Tibetan New Year, also known as Losar, is the most important festival in Tibet and is celebrated for 15 days, typically falling in February or March.    1    The celebrations include a range of customs and traditions that reflect the unique culture and identity of the Tibetan people.

Before the arrival of the New Year, Tibetans engage in thorough cleaning of their homes and surroundings.    2    They also make offerings to the gods and ancestors to seek blessings for the upcoming year. Decorating homes and public places is a common custom during Losar. In addition, people also decorate their clothes with patterns, and their hair is styled in fashion.

    3    Traditional dishes such as momos, a type of steamed dumpling filled with meat or vegetables, and Tibetan butter tea, made from yak butter and tea leaves, are served. Sweet treats like Tibetan butter cookies and dried fruit are also enjoyed.

Tibetan people offer prayers and make offerings to the gods and deities during Losar. The offerings typically include food, incense and flowers.    4    

Music and dance are part of the Losar celebrations. Villagers gather in public spaces and dance around bonfires, singing and playing traditional instruments.

    5    People gather in public spaces and light incense and candles while offering food, drinks and other items to the gods. This is followed by the ceremony of throwing Tsampa, a roasted barley flour, into the air as a symbol of letting go of the past year and embracing new beginnings.

The customs of Tibetan New Year are deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of the Tibetan people.

4 . It seems a bit strange to imagine ancient Egyptians celebrating their birthdays with layered cakes topped with lighted candles.    1    

The first birthday cakes were nothing of what they are today and weren’t even called birthday cakes.    2    At that time only they could afford to celebrate with something sweet. That is how cake became associated with special occasions.

Ancient Egyptians are credited with“inventing”the birthday celebration. And ancient Greeks borrowed the tradition but rightfully realized that a dessert would make the celebration all the more meaningful. So they baked moon-shaped cakes to offer up to the moon.    3    

It wasn’t just the ancient Egyptians and Greeks who celebrated with sweet cakes.    4    And it’s believed that the original birthday cake came from them. Rather than just celebrating birthdays, though,ancient Rome was known for celebrating all things with a cake including wedding,but there was an exception—the birthdays celebrated were only for men who were citizens,and they had to be famous.

Modern birthday parties are said to get their roots from the 18th-century German celebration. On the morning of a child’s birthday, he or she would receive a cake with lighted candles that added up to the child’s age plus one.    5    The birthday child would make a wish,try to blow out all the candles in one breath,and dig in.

5 . Harvest Celebrations

People around the world pick, or harvest food that grows. Then they have a holiday. Let's read about some harvest celebrations!

Every February, the people of Mendoza, Argentina, harvest their grapes. Then they celebrate for a month! There are parades (游行), shows, and fireworks. They always choose a Harvest Queen, too.	Chanthaburi, a town in Thailand, is famous for its tasty fruit. People celebrate the fruit at harvest time in May. The Fruit Fair begins with a parade of floats (游行彩车) made from thousands of fruits and vegetables.
The Argungu Fishing Festival began in 1934 in Nigeria, a country in Africa. It's a four-day festival held at the end of February to celebrate the end of all farming activities. On the last day there's a fishing contest. People have one hour to catch the largest fish. But it's not that easy. They can only use traditional fishing tools. But many use only their hands to catch the fish.	France's famous Menton Lemon Festival starts in February. There are big parades with floats decorated with lemons and oranges. More than 200, 000 people from around the world come to Menton for this festival.

6 . For the holiday gathering, you may be wondering how you’re going to pull it off. Before we go into the specifics, a few words of general advice: You don’t have to throw the party your parents did.     1    

We talked to a party-planning expert, Miller. Here’s her advice on how to host a stress-free holiday gathering without losing your mind.

The best way to avoid being exhausted is to be prepared. Many seasoned hosts set their tables several days in advance. “Always pretend your event is a few days before.” Miller says.    3     She recommends cleaning the house, rounding up an extra dining chair and buying drinks a few days in advance.

Before you choose your menu, determine your serving style.     4     If you’ve got the space for it, a family-style meal — where people sit around a table and food is passed on big plates — can cut down on the need for complicated decorations. “Food can be part of the design, so you’re not going crazy with flowers or anything,” she says.

The pandemic has made takeout an option not only for family dinners, but also for entertaining, because many restaurants now offer specific holiday dinner dishes to take home.     5     “You can do a party with literally no cooking,” Ramos says. “I like to live in the in-between, but it’s up to you.” Time- and stress-savers include relying on make-ahead dishes.

7 . The harvest season falls at different times of the year depending on region and climate, but festivals celebrating its arrival are held all over the world Some are the start of the season and the fist crops, while other are celebrations to give thanks for the blessing of a harvest.

Rice Harvest Festival (May ~ June)

The harvest festival is dedicated to Dewi Sni-the goddess of rice and fertility(丰产) celebrated by the people of Bali, Indonesia.

Mid-Autumn Festival (September ~ October)

Mooncakes and tea are served on Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Moon Festival, because it coincides with the full moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It is also a time of family gatherings.

Yam Festival (August or September)

Men are carrying yams(山药) at the Yam Festival on the Trobriand Islands, Papua NewGuinea. The people there celebrate the end of the rainy season and the first appearance of yams.

Sukkoth (September ~ October)

Jewish people decorate the family Sukkah for the Jewish festival of Sukkot. A Sukkah is a temporary building where meals are taken for the week. The 8-day festival gives thanks to the harvest.

Pongal (January)

The 4-day festival of Pongal is a celebration of the rice harvest period. Held after the winter solstice(冬至), it celebrates the return of longer days of life-giving sunlight. Its name comes from a Tamil word, meaning “to boil”, and is also the name given to a rice dish that is prepared during this time.

8 . What do you do during the Spring Festival? Here is something about two students.

He Jian is thirteen years old. He lives with his parents in the city. He likes traditional Chinese festivals and the Spring Festival is his favorite. During the Spring Festival, he often visits his grandparents by bus. They live in a small village and they love He Jian very much. Every time He Jian gets to the village, his grandparents always get many traditional food ready, such as jiaozi and Niangao. He Jian likes niangao very much. This year he also met his cousin Ma Bin in his grandparents’ home. They were happy to play winter games.

Zheng Min is in Grade 7 and she’s twelve years old. She lives in Shanghai with her parents and grandparents. Her grandparents were teachers and collected many stories about the city. They often tell them to Zheng Min when she is free. During the Spring Festival this year, Zheng Min heard some stories about food in Shanghai when she ate out with her parents and grandparents. She wrote them on the computer and sent an email to her friend in New York.

9 . My son’s seventh birthday is approaching, so conversation at my house has naturally turned to organizing his party.

For his sixth birthday, we booked the local trampoline(蹦床) park. This worked out well. But the whole event cost us hundreds of pounds. This year, I’m trying to convince him that the dinosaur-themed park down the road offers just as much fun—and you don’t even need to wear special socks! This will be cheaper, because we aren’t required to hire a space—we can simply buy tickets for his mates.

But I still keep pondering over one thing—party bags. Why should a bunch of seven-year-olds, who have already been treated to a day out and a mountain of sugar, also be handed a bag full of pound-shop gifts for simply bothering to show up?

Party bags are an environmental disaster. I reckon my son attends 20 parties per year, and at each party there are 20 kids in attendance, which means 400 plastic bags in total. Within these 400 bags are perhaps 800 plastic toys, almost all of which fall apart on the journey home and then get binned instantly. The waste is shocking, and I don’t want to be part of it.

I know there are some party bag alternatives: one couple I know covered a table with Mr. Men books and got the kids to choose one each. At another party, I saw the hosts fill a bucket with soft toys and crumpled newspaper, and do a lucky dip (抽奖). Admirable efforts.

Even if that is a nice try, and even if the contents in the party bags don’t fall apart, so what? Will our guests think more highly of our child because of the party bags from our party? Will my child’s ability to make and keep friends be improved?

Well, the tradition for kid’s party bags ends with me, and it ends here, and it ends now. Who’s with me?