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Another essential element for the proper celebration of the Lunar New Year is chrysanthemums. And they are out in full force on the streets now, ready to decorate every house with any Chinese heritage.
I hadn’t planned on a series of articles about anticipation of the Lunar New Year but it seems each day presents another example of the preparations that have now started in earnest. Here is an example I encountered today:
Most major holidays or festivals in Asia are multi-day, even multi-week events. Even a basic wedding can go on for three days. The official lunar new year day is Tuesday, 5 February, but the new year festival has already started and will continue after February 5th. In the picture above a local man burns imitation paper money and symbols of luxury items to appease ancestral spirits and make them happy as the new year approaches.
More signs of the approaching lunar new year are appearing. Today I passed a woman on the street who was washing traditional Chinese figures and symbols used to celebrate the New Year. They were probably stored away in a box all year and very dusty.
After washing the figures, the woman dried each one with a yellow towel. As I saw her handling them, I was wondering if she has a favorite figure just like some of us had favorite Christmas tree ornaments that we would look forward to displaying each year.
Just a little over a month ago, local shops were displaying red Santa Claus suits. They are one way a culture that knows nothing about Jesus and Christmas can participate in the Christmas merriment through their children.
Now those shops are selling red suits again, but this time in preparation for the Lunar New Year. Most people in North America and Europe speak of the Chinese New Year but Lunar New Year is a more appropriate and inclusive label because all the chopsticks countries (Korea, Japan, Vietnam, etc.) celebrate the Lunar New Year, not just China.
One man on our street has a small business he runs from the ground floor of his house. He seems to supply other small shops with snack foods and every morning he has his motorcycle loaded for delivery. He’s actually quite efficient at loading the moto. Click here to check out his style.
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A watched pot never boils. |
I’m trying to learn how to place images in relation to text in this new WordPress editor. This is a first attempt–and not a very satisfying one.
This is the Golden 42 Towers, a building under construction for ten years. Or let’s say construction started ten years ago. The original Korean company ran out of money in the financial crisis and the building just sat there, not golden at all but rather covered with green construction netting. Some people called it the Green 32 for the number of floors finished then. Now a Chinese company has taken over and is moving full speed toward completion, and it’s actually becoming golden as panels of tinted class are installed.
