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| Not a great photo, but this gives the sense of the decorations around here. |
Happy year of the snake, everyone! Wait, you were
too busy watching the Ravens win (yay, for Baltimore, yay) that you didn't know
we here in China are getting ready to celebrate the new year?
Well, it's kind of a big deal, like the anticipation in the run-up to Christmas. The rush at my hairdresser was so big it took me four hours to get out of there. Granted, I need more attention these days, but it was mainly because everyone wanted a haircut, a facial, or a manicure before the holiday.
And today, my Chinese teacher started talking about all the special things you're supposed to do in the week before new year. One day is for cleaning and one day is for eating gigantic dumplings, and then I lost track of the other parts of the preparations because all I could focus on was the excitement in her voice. Going home to see family and overeating. Giving gifts. Decorations everywhere. Crazy stress over travel. Sound familiar?
Okay, so instead of a little babe in a manger we have cherubs wearing Chinese hats and depictions of snakes that are so chubby that it's virtually impossible to tell them from last year's baby dragons. I'll bet even the year of the rat gets cute-ified. And instead of red and green, angels we have heard on high, deck the halls, we have fat red lanterns everywhere.
And instead of Christmas carols we have fireworks, so loud and relentless that it's honestly like living in a war zone. A colorful, Communist war zone. Yay again.
Last year we were in town for a good three days of nonstop fireworks. This year, we fly out on the eve of the holiday, which may mean that we can see Beijing exploding in an orgy of lights as we soar off to the Philippines. Either that, or the fireworks get us.
Well, it's kind of a big deal, like the anticipation in the run-up to Christmas. The rush at my hairdresser was so big it took me four hours to get out of there. Granted, I need more attention these days, but it was mainly because everyone wanted a haircut, a facial, or a manicure before the holiday.
And today, my Chinese teacher started talking about all the special things you're supposed to do in the week before new year. One day is for cleaning and one day is for eating gigantic dumplings, and then I lost track of the other parts of the preparations because all I could focus on was the excitement in her voice. Going home to see family and overeating. Giving gifts. Decorations everywhere. Crazy stress over travel. Sound familiar?
Okay, so instead of a little babe in a manger we have cherubs wearing Chinese hats and depictions of snakes that are so chubby that it's virtually impossible to tell them from last year's baby dragons. I'll bet even the year of the rat gets cute-ified. And instead of red and green, angels we have heard on high, deck the halls, we have fat red lanterns everywhere.
And instead of Christmas carols we have fireworks, so loud and relentless that it's honestly like living in a war zone. A colorful, Communist war zone. Yay again.
Last year we were in town for a good three days of nonstop fireworks. This year, we fly out on the eve of the holiday, which may mean that we can see Beijing exploding in an orgy of lights as we soar off to the Philippines. Either that, or the fireworks get us.
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| This is a snake. Yes it is. |
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