5 months in China: Celebrating the New Year, Chinese Style

The noise maker fireworks started in the afternoon on New Years Eve, then sporadic fireworks as it got dark. On TV, they have lots of New Year specials, set up like Lawrence Welk variety shows, lots of signing and dancing and skits I don't understand.

We gave the kids a nap so they could stay up to see the big fireworks at midnight. Bad idea, because they were whiney and wouldn't eat dinner when they met family for the first time for New Year's dinner. All the meals are family style. Rarely are there serving spoons. Only your chopsticks you stick in your mouth and then all over the food. At least in japan they serve the food with the back of the chopsticks and eat on the other side. I try not to watch other's eating or taking food so I don't get grossed out!

Aidan fell asleep 15 min before the big fireworks started. Many apartment complexes advise not to do fireworks on the premise, so we had a hard time seeing fireworks around the buildings out our window. So we went to the stairwell to watch the panoramic fireworks display. There is nothing like a Chinese Fireworks display! The non-stop booming and cracking lasted about an hour and a half, then back to sporadic fireworks for a while. I woke up around four and didn't hear any. By daylight the noise makers were back at it. Fireworks will happen day & night through out the 7 day holiday.

There are many festivals at parks. We went to one specifically for a food vendor lunch. It was like 20 degrees and there are people everywhere, going on rides like it was summer. Crazy, my face and hands were already frozen, I don't know how they could stand going on a ride. We ate dumplings, soup, meat on a stick(I love the spice mix on these, the boys did not care for the spices, good more for me!), a hot orange drink, fried garlic starch and my favorite haw(it's like a crab apple that is candied) on a stick.

Later in the week we went to a different park where they also had games to play like fishing and angry bird or mean bird as my kids call it. They each won something, so they were happy. And booths to buy music, keychains, hats, novelty gifts, artificial flowers and puzzles to name a few. Now we were into owls before it was cool, so when I saw owls on a stick(no not to eat, for decoration) I had to get them. One for each boy and I got a singing bird in a cage, we found some American books in Chinese.

Every other day we met family for either lunch or dinner. Sometimes the boys ate a lot, sometimes they missed out on really good food like Peking duck! But they weren't shy anymore. To keep food off your lap they tuck the napkin corner under your plate and lay the rest on your lap. Works good and keeps it from falling to the floor. This doesn't keep chopsticks from flying on the floor though!

The boys received red envelopes from elder family members for them to buy candy. Of course the parents hold on to the money for them. Red banners or signs are everywhere, other decorations are lamps, dragons, fish, and this year the snake.

Fish