Ultimate Firework show

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Chinese New year)

Last night (Feb 13) was New years eve, ending the year of the Ox (Jada's year) and beginning the year of the Tiger (your year if you are 12, 24, 36, ect). This is probably the most important holiday in China, as for a lot of people it might be the one time a year they go back to their homes. Trains, buses and planes are all very busy. People start lining up around 2 weeks to try to get a train ticket (preferred way to travel in China) back to their home towns. If you are unlucky, you might start looking at buses, and at last resort a plane. Family is very important for this holiday, and everyone gathers around to eat a big meal on new years eve. All kinds of food, and lots of it!

Here in Beijing, we foreigners may not have our family here, but as members of the Church, we do have the branch family. So most of us that stayed in Beijing gathered together for a big potluck.

There were lots of options, and everything was very tasty! Of course, because we are in Northern China, there had to be dumplings. Everyone in Northern China eats dumplings on New Years eve, including at midnight. The shape of a dumpling looks like old Chinese money, so they are supposed to bring good luck. Many Chinese families (we did not do this) will put 1 coin or make 1 sweet dumpling (out of a batch of a hundred plus) and who ever gets it will have luck and prosperity this year. We ate, played games, and such. A lot of fun.

We also set off fireworks! It's New Years, there HAS to be fireworks! Before we ate, we set off a 1000 firecrackers for good luck. In Beijing, people can only by fireworks starting a week before the new years. So people have been setting fireworks off every day, all day for a week already, and will continue to do so for the next two weeks.

Jada enjoyed the fireworks. All the lights and noise did not even faze her! In fact, she fell asleep after a little bit!

As it got closer to midnight, more and more fireworks were going off. We walked back to our building and went up to the roof (about 30 floors up!) were we had a commanding view of our area of Beijing. Every where you looked, there were fireworks going off.

There is one thing that you have to do at least once before you die: Be in China during the Chinese New year! I promise you that it will be the best firework show you will ever see! As Austin Wilcox (branch member, he is the one helping light the roman candle a few pictures back) 'I am now ashamed of the 4th of July's Fireworks'. We did capture some of it on video, sans sound as my camera does not have a mike. I'll try to get a video from a friend that is clearer and has sound, but for now, enjoy these short videos, to try to get an idea of how it is. It is just a small part of the city, but things like this go on all over Beijing, and China.

These are not professional fireworks. Just People setting them off on the street.

On the agenda for tomorrow: Temple Fair at Dongyue temple, and Rail Baron pizza party at our place. Expect a few posts this week!