Zoo Atlanta’s twin panda cubs to be given names Monday

The giant panda twins at Zoo Atlanta will stop being Cub A and Cub B on Monday, Dec. 12, when they will earn their own handles.

On that date, they will be 100 days old, which, in Chinese tradition, is the time to give pandas actual names.

A naming ceremony on Monday will include a performance by the Wesley International School Choir, speakers from the U.S. and from China and a celebratory lion dance from the Chien Hong School of Kung Fu.

Panda lovers worldwide have been helping Zoo Atlanta decide on new names for the cubs, voting on one of seven choices provided by the partners at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in the Sichuan Province of China.

Voting opened on Nov. 21 and in two weeks more than 23,400 votes were cast. The choices were:

• Ba Lun and Shu Lun: Ba and Shu are ancient names of the Sichuan area and are still widely used in China, including Sichuan Province and Chongqing. Ba Shu also means "land of abundance."

• Jiu Jiu and Yuan Yuan: Jiu means "longevity" or "long time." Yuan means "far distance" or "far away." Together, they mean "longevity and permanence."

• Lun Jia and Jia Lun: The first Jia means "addition." The second Jia means "good," "fine" or "praise." Lun references daughters of Lun Lun.

• Lun Li and Lun Yu: Lun Li means "ethic" or "ethics." Lun Yu is Confucian Analects, a collection of the sayings of Confucius and one of the pillars of Chinese culture, widely read across centuries.

• Ya Lun and Xi Lun: Ya means "elegant;" Xi means "happy"; "Lun" references daughters of Lun Lun — "Lun Lun's elegant and happy daughters."

• Ya Lun and Xin Lun: Similar to Ya Lun and Xi Lun, with Xin meaning "fragrant."

• Yang Hai and Yang Gui: Yang is a reference to Yang Yang and means "ocean." Hai means "sea." Gui has many meanings, including "laurel."

The giant panda couple Lun Lun and Yang Yang arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 1999, on loan from China. The two have produced seven surviving giant panda cubs, Mei Lan (2006); Xi Lan (2008); Po (2010); the twins Mei Lun and Mei Huan (2013); and a second set of twins born to Lun Lun on Sept. 3, 2016.

It is that second set of twins that will be the focus of Monday's ceremony. One can keep up with the pandas on the Panda Cam.

Mei Lan, Xi Lan, Po, Mei Lun and Mei Huan currently reside at the Chengdu Research Base. The older set of twins left for China on Nov. 3.

Back at Zoo Atlanta, the two female cubs are still learning how to walk and won’t be on public display at the ceremony. The pair is expected to make their debut in late December or in January 2017.