Chinese New Year: Wet, Noisy and Raw
by Chinese New Year, the biggest holiday in China’s Lunar calendar is about to take off. Thought I’d share one or one or two insights.
I haven’t headed off anywhere for the Chinese Winter holiday and there’s still three weeks left. I’m just getting over a sniffy cold and some headaches. Still, I may go somewhere if I can be bothered, and if I can book a ticket on some form of transport. Otherwise, I’m soaking up some of the Chinese New Year atmosphere (excuse the pun – it is raining) which is just taking off.
About a week ago, streams of red lanterns were strung around everyhere, arguably the most famous of the decorations that are festooned. Tasselled shaped cloth ornaments are hung up, usually in people’s houses or on the front of doors. The lanterns are strung everywhere, inside and out.
A few blocks from where I’m living, street sellers manning moving stalls have them all cluttered with strings of red and red: cloths of chilies, lanterns, the tasselled, and all sorts of dragon designs as well as keeping the precious decorations covered over with thick plastic tarpaulins. I repeat – it has and is raining – and this year’s animal or mascot sign is the dragon which, tying in the with the Spring Festival celebrations, means good luck and authority. The rest of the festival means happiness, contentment, getting together with friends, associates and family which is why Chinese go to town during this time and hand make their ‘Jaozi’ – dumplings, dough wrapped in meat fillings which are boiled.
Chinese, usually, find it hard to resist setting off bangers and pther fireworks. The Spring Festival celebrations are no exception. If you are looking for a quiet time because it’s the holidays, forget it. I was just hitting the sack the other night, thinking all was going to be quiet on the western front, when all of a sudden, firecrackers were set off – a five-minute din which sounded as though everything was crashing or raining down all around.
The wet weather has an unpleasant raw feeling – wet and an extra dose of cold clashing – so it wasn’t ideal for staying out too long.
The nearest supermarket was driving me nuts. I hate crowded places at the best of times, but shopping trolleys and bodies in the way was just the last straw, particularly as Chinese are absolutely unconscious of showing any consideration if they knock against or brush your body with themselves, their baskets, their trolleys. I kept my elbow out bent on purpose.
So, there you have them…some of the Chinese New Year Festival happening in a nutshell. They’re a bit like Christmas and New Year in the west, although not quite, either.
Liked it
