There were at least five popped balloons on the ground for every child at Putnam County Library celebrating the Chinese New Year Wednesday evening.
From five to seven, preschool to elementary-aged children enjoyed traditional Chinese games and food. In the absence of fireworks, they popped balloons to replicate the noise.
Troy Scott, assistant director of Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department, organized the event and to ensure accuracy, Scott enlisted help from DePauw's Explore Chinese club.
"The goal is for kids to have fun and learn something-we try to sneak in a little education-and we like them to bring parents, too," Scott said. "We want to bridge, get students involved with Greencastle and Greencastle involved with the university."
With help from Explore Chinese, Scott taught the kids and their parents about various aspects of Chinese culture, including the Chinese calendar and food-explaining, for example, that fortune cookies are not at all Chinese. They originated in New York City. Other traditional food included egg rolls, cracker bars made with rice and wafers.
In addition, a table was set up with activities and information sheets for the children to learn about the Chinese calendar and the Year of the Snake.
Freshman Explore Chinese member, Riki Gao, said the year of the snake is one of twelve animals in the twelve-year cycle. Each year she celebrates that year's corresponding animal.
"At the beginning of the year, we buy [things resembling] that year's animal-this year a snake-to put in the home, like toys," Gao said.
There were also games for the children to gain cultural insight.
"Kids start playing, they ask questions and they take that [knowledge] home," Scott said.
Scott recruited Explore Chinese to give the event a personal touch.
"Our goal was to bring someone who could tell us about their cultural experience, whether they're of Chinese descent, come from China, or just into studying Chinese culture, instead of using just what we see on television," Scott said. "They also could tell me what they had done in their homes. When fireworks were unavailable, one student told me, she and her family stepped on balloons to make noise."
Explore Chinese provides language and martial arts lessons for children on Fridays, two one-hour sessions a week. This has been a principal activity of the club since it began two years ago.
Sophomore Bolun Zhang, director of Explore Chinese, has been with the organization for three semesters. Starting with 12 members, there are 17 this semester.
"It's not happening that fast, but it's growing," Zhang said.
The other main purpose of this event was to unite DePauw and the Greencastle community.
"It's not only one of the department goals, but also one of my personal goals to get the community and campus closer together," said Scott. "It's easy for anyone to go to Google or Wikipedia, but it's nice to get a personal touch from a person who has grown up with it, sharing ideas."