Happy New Year! You never know what to expect--beside lots of crazy noise and fireworks when you celebrate a major holiday in a foreign country. Chinese New Year is a big family holiday, with millions of people returning to their homes to visit extended family. It can be hard on them--many (most?) take the train, but the system here doesn't allow you to book your return ticket more than 2 or 3 days out. So people buy a one-way ticket to their home town and then there's a mad rush for the return tickets once they get there. People have had their ayis and drivers get stuck for more than a week longer than expected because they were not able to get a seat. Our ayi has gone home for the first time in 3 years so she'll be gone next week as well--we'll really have to kick it old-school here (meaning, the way y'all do in the States) by doing our own laundry, cleaning, and cooking our own meals. The horror! hahaA couple night ago we ended up with tickets to the Great Hall of the People, at Tiananmen Square for a family celebration. It's very interesting to be able to see some of the buildings, and this is a biggie, so off we went. The view of the Forbidden City was gorgeous at night.
Tiananmen Square had been turned into a parking lot...thank goodness we had a driver!
The thing about going anywhere is that you never know what to expect...I guess that means you can never be disappointed. Or maybe you'd always be disappointed. But chances are, you'll always be amused. Factor into the equation the fact that you can't understand anything anyone is saying...
A mural depicting the unification of all ages and ethnicities under Mao's leadership.
The Great Hall of the People is HUGE. REALLY HUGE. Each room is mind-boggling big. There were bouncy castles, always a hit in any language. One room had amazing contortionists and acrobats. They are always worth watching--and so amazingly strong. We never get tired of watching them. The little guy on the top is about 11 years old. Sorry in advance for the crick in your neck -- I don't know how to rotate video.
It's always a good idea to bring your own food or eat before you go. Thousands of people in a building and there are small plastic boxes of bad sweet cakes and warm soda. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home.
Other acts included a massive stage with Chinese singers and puppet shows. I thought the puppets might be shadow puppets, but they were fuzzy rabbits and a fox on a stage that resembled something from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. There was also an arcade, where you could play carnival games. The lines were long, and there weren't any tickets or prizes, so the kids watched for awhile but didn't want to wait to play.
I don't think the pictures really convey just how BIG everything is in each room. It's very beautiful, but a bit overwhelming. The funny part was that at 9:15, the kids were just ready to get on a bouncy castle when they were stopped and someone pulled the plug. No warning, nothing. Then, as if a bell went off, everyone started moving toward the exits. The gig was over at 9:30 and by 9:30 the thousands of people had mostly left. All the fanfare and effort for 90 minutes!
For New Year's Eve we were invited to a farm by a friend of Mark's. He's Chinese but has lived in the US for a number of years and has a passion for helping disabled young adults. There really are no services or programs to help disabled people learn a trade and become more independent. Brian has bought a farm and has built dorms so that the students can live together and learn functional daily living skills and have oppotunities to learn a trade. ISB has a few students who have worked in our kitchen and doing janitorial work. It's a great and very needed program. We had a traditional dinner that included jiao zi (dumplings that are shaped like old coins). Normally I'm all over the jiao zi but these were filled with lamb, so I wasn't as motivated to eat a dozen or so. We also sampled bai jiu, the traditional grain alcohol. Chinese are big drinkers--this stuff might also be useful for stripping paint or maybe getting oil spots off the garage floor. And it was considered good stuff! The liquid burned all the way down, and then the fumes rose up, and up, and up. Yikes!
Another tradition is giving hong bao, red envelopes filled with money. For children, especially, the hong bao is a big deal. Some of my students will clear close to $1,000 from relatives, especially if they don't celebrate Christmas. Giving certain denominations is key--the number 8 is very lucky so 80 RMB, or 800 RMB would be good. Nothing with the number 4, since that is bad luck. The kids were very surprised to receive a hong bao from Brian mother, whom we had just met. Each one received 100 RMB, which is about $15. The number 100 represents 100 years of long life and good fortune. I'm glad we brought a bottle of good red wine and champagne with us!
We didn't stay long enough to see fireworks there, but managed to catch a decent show from our bedroom window. The fireworks on the right are from our parking lot, just a few houses down. Yes, the guards had fire extinguishers and a water truck. NO, they really are not that safe!
No comments:
Post a Comment