Ring in the Year of the Monkey this week with a Chinese celebration.

The University of Toledo’s Confucius Institute will present the 2016 Spring Carnival Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium.

“It’s always important to learn about different cultures,” said Xinren Yu, international programs coordinator in the UT Center for International Studies and Programs. “China is one of the largest countries in the world. We provide a great opportunity for our UT community to learn about the richness of Chinese culture. It also gives them something new that they’ve never experienced before.”

Traditional Chinese snacks will be provided, and there will be bracelet making, fan decorating, mask painting, pitch pot games, calligraphy lessons, New Year greeting card creation stations, and traditional Chinese hairdressing.

The institute also will present a traditional Chinese clothing catwalk during the festival.

“We do the real stuff. The way we do it here is the same way they do it in China,” Yu said.

The carnival, which is free and open to the public, is part of a two-week Spring Festival celebrating the Chinese New Year, an event marking the start of a year beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice and ending on the full moon 15 days later. This year will be the Year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese 12-year animal zodiac cycle.

Free parking will be available in Lot 10, located north of the Glass Bowl.

For more information about the event and the Confucius Institute, visit utoledo.edu/cisp/Confucius_Institute.

Media Coverage
La Prensa (Feb. 9, 2016)