I apologize to my legions of fans for not keeping you all in the loop the last few days. It’s hard to remember to blog when I feel like we’re at home, and there hasn’t been anything really strange/stressful/problematic to write about. Things have been quite smooth and worry-free, and we’re definitely not complaining. But do not fret, there’s a long post coming up.
We’ve been swallowing up the Chinese New Year festivities since arriving here. Just like the twelve days of Christmas, there are the fifteen days of Chinese New Year, with festivities starting on the eve of the New Year and special customs and traditions that are followed on each subsequent day, until the fifteenth day. Most of the traditions inevitably involve food, and of course Kevin and I have partaken in these celebrations as much as our stomachs will allow. We’ve sampled some pretty “interesting” things as well as cooking/eating a homemade seafood feast that went from noon to 4PM.
Since we’re not in a rush to get to our next destination, we’ve either been led around by family to some nice places around the city, or exploring on our own slow pace. Today for example, we spent a good part of the day walking down this historic street where we sampled four different types of yogurt at four different shops. We haven’t spent too much time wandering outside though, because like the title suggests, it’s literally very chilly in Beijing. Being the northern most city we’ve been to since leaving Toronto, we’ve also had to pack on the layers in order to stay warm.
The cold weather hasn’t deterred people from setting fireworks though, which is an essential part of New Year celebrations. Traditionally, fireworks are set off to scare off evil spirits and bad luck so that the New Year can start afresh. These days, it seems more like an excuse to set off gigantic sticks, scratch that – gigantic crates of fireworks that would make Canadian Health and Safety personnel lose their jobs. On NYE, when it’s almost midnight, neighbourhoods all over China set off super powerful firecrackers that set off car alarms. These firecrackers aren’t set off in open area parks, instead their placed in the middle of the road and the sparks bounce off the walls of apartment buildings. Meanwhile, empty firecracker shells whiz by your body and fragments fall into your hair. Sounds dangerous? Yeah, just a little. You look around and it’s like a war zone. There are BOOMS and BANGS going off everywhere, leaving the streets smoky and misty, as well as littered with debris. It’s all fun and games until someone looses an eye. So far so good though.
Happy Chinese New Year! Hope the year of the dragon brings everyone health, happiness, and prosperity!
Boxes of firecrackers ready to be set off
Firecracker war zone street
Too close for comfort in the balcony section
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