BANG! Goes The New Year of The Dog

Gong Xi Fa Cai!




Our ears are ringing from the two week celebration that is Chinese New Year’s. From January 28th, “New Year’s Eve”, until today, February 12th, the Lantern Festival, we have been bombarded by constant fireworks explosions. Everyone is partying like it’s 4704. Which it is, according to the Chinese calendar.

Tiffany and I spent New Year’s Eve at the Radisson Hotel in People’s Square, in the heart of Shanghai. From the 45th floor of their revolving restaurant, we witnessed the beginning of what would be a wild, raucous two weeks. As we slowly panned across the city, bright flashes of firecrackers kept up a noisy chatter down in the streets, and deep booms accompanied the larger, colorful flowering explosions that split the night sky. It was a beautiful, hazy scene.

Monday we joined our Chinese teacher, Jan, at her home to celebrate the New Year with her family. Unbeknownst to us, Jan’s father is like the Chinese Emeril Lagasse. He amazed us with his culinary prowess, and every time we thought we were done… BAM! Dumplings! or BAM! another soup!

We were stuffed to the gills with what Tiffany and I still maintain was the best Chinese meal we’ve had yet in China. I mean, you just can’t beat the home cooked meal. And all from a tiny kitchen, with no oven and only two burners. On second thought, maybe Emeril is like the American version of Jan’s father… BAM! Eight Treasures rice! BAM! crab!

Luckily, Jan took us to a beautiful park nearby and we spent the next three hours waddling around trying to burn off spring rolls and mandarin fish.

The following Thursday was “Money Day”, and all across China people wished each other “Gong Xi Fa Cai” and hand out “hong bao”, red envelopes containing money to wish each other a prosperous New Year. The money god demands a sacrifice, of course, and a deafening one at that. Starting Wednesday night and all through Thursday, Shanghai erupted with fireworks heretofore unimaginable by us. And what to do, but join in the mayhem? I channeled my inner pyromaniac (a little too easily!) and purchased as many fireworks as Tiffany and I could carry. Then we headed off to our friend Tara’s apartment complex, and proceeded to make war with fireworks.

All in all, it’s been an exciting two weeks. And we’re still a bit shell-shocked. Next year, I think we’ll bring in the New Year from a nice, warm beach somewhere in southern Asia…