Everyone said, "You'll want to be here for at least one Chinese New Year, but once will be enough."
So we arrived here on Saturday evening, and New Year's eve was on Sunday.
We observed the commencement of festivities on Sunday morning on our way to church--
small clusters of people were setting off fireworks as the sun came over the horizon.
The reduction of traffic was very noticeable. It was great! (And has been all week!)
The Taiwanese in our branch only stayed for sacrament meeting and
we began to understand how big a day this is to them.
One of them was hosting a big gathering in the evening for anyone who wished to come--
food, fireworks, games.
We were too jet-lagged to want to go. It was hard enough staying awake for church--my body kept telling me it was really night-time and I should be sound asleep.
Back at our apartment in the afternoon, we did get a nap,
in-between the pops and booms of intermittent fireworks.
Once dark descended, the din became more constant, building and building
until finally, Kevin and I decided to go out and see for ourselves, just before midnight.
(The girls were too tired and tried ear plugs, but ended up with intermittent dozing).
We had been able to look out from our deck and count 6 or 7 different "shows",
just looking to the south. These are fireworks purchased privately,
though they are the same kind as displayed by cities back in the U.S.
They don't seem to have the same safety precautions here.
(This was a string of firecrackers)
One group was lighting fireworks right outside our building. (No wonder we couldn't sleep!)
The colorful sparks were bouncing off the side of the high-rise buildings, and
we were glad those buildings are cement stucco!
As we walked out to the street, it sounded like a battle zone. Seriously!
Doing a 360-degree turn, fireworks were exploding in every direction.
It was cold, so I had ear muffs on, and ended up putting my gloved hands
over my ears as well because it was so LOUD!
The air was filled with smoke and the smell of sulfur and gun powder.
My heart pounded like we were under attack. (And it took a while to calm down, which
made me wonder how I would handle it if it really were a dangerous situation.)
And the fun has continued all week long.
One morning, as Alice and I walked to the hotel to go swimming, firecrackers
started popping. It was a string about 20 feet long, set off by the housekeepers. I know they are quite inexpensive--3000 firecrackers cost about $15.
But then, many of the workers only make $500 a month, so they save up for this.
We used one day of this week-long vacation to go into Tianjin, to the drum tower street.
(That's the drum tower, behind A & E). And it is appropriate that Ellie is covered by
the cotton-candy. Somehow, she manages to get some on just about every outing.
We took the opportunity to sample a sugar-glazed red date treat from a vendor and found out the truth.
It looks better than it tastes.
The red dates were old--about the texture (and taste) of old crab apples
left on the tree over winter. Only the birds appreciate them!
And I include the last picture as a snapshot of the China of today, in mid-winter--
- lots of high-rises under construction
- nearly-dead grass and dusty, dusty, dirty!
- hokey celebration pictures along with the traditional red lanterns (lots of red and gold at this time of year!)
- and a family of Americans wandering the streets.
It's good to be back!
Happy New Year!
