China 15: Xin nian kuai le
26 January 2009
Which translates in New Year Happy in Chinese. The year of the ox started today and for the next two weeks, China is on hiatus. Spring Festival as it is also called is “one of the most important traditional holidays” with many celebrations and rites through out the next 15 days.
So, to start of this new year on the right foot, to scare off any ghouls and other evil spirits, why not a few free-for-all, lawless hours of uproar, firecrackers-a-bamming and fireworks-a-kabooming? From early on yesterday evening to late in the night, it was Beirut-style in Shanghai, everything was blasting off anywhere and everywhere, hitting an apogee of light and sound at the turn of the new year. As the evening went on, smoke was accumulating and by 1 AM, it was as if a heavy fog had taken over the city skyline, silhouettes of the neighboring residential towers striking through the smoke as fireworks still blasted nearby.
Yours truly gazing at the explosions, a mere 30 feet of the apartment window. BAM. Comme mon père dirait, “c’est un vrai Capharnaum.” (Photo crédit: Miss Bélanger)