Chinese New Years

So, I didn't take any pictures or videos during New Years because my camera died on me. Yep. I forgot to charge it, and I'm so upset that I can't share, in video form, the total chaos that became of this city. At least, not my perspective of it. I managed to acquire a few vids from my friends camera, and will try to get those up. Google video is blocked in China, so I'll use youtube.

The Chinese New Year is based on an a very ancient Chinese lunar calendar. This year, the new year fell on February 18th. This marks the end of the year of the dog, and the beginning of the year of the pig. There are pigs everywhere, it's cute.

To try to describe the event in words is challenging. I've said it already, and I'll say it again, it was Armageddon. Think 4th of July, but way more people, and fireworks are cheap and very very widely available. You can find fireworks for sale on almost any corner of the street, and they include types of fireworks that can only be used by licenced pros in Canada. Very safe, right? Apparently, in Beijing, there were 2 deaths and 300 hospitalizations on New Years eve due to fireworks accidents. I know in a population of 15million, that's a very untimidating percentage, but if the same percentage were reduced to Toronto, that would be like 100 hospitalizations and a near-death... and the fallout from that would be severe. Pretty much, they would never allow such widespread usage of powerful fireworks in the western world. But here, aha!

Despite the danger, the display was absolutely amazing. First, a bit of background, which may help to explain why Chinese are pyromaniacs. Firstly, Chinese invented explosives sometime in the 11th century (thanks Encarta), which led to the development of fireworks soonafter. This is well known here and considered an issue of national pride. So, to love fireworks is to love your country. Secondly, fireworks were banned for many years, and only last year did they allow its use in public places. The Chinese had a lot of pent-up anxiety about its use. So, when the practice was made legal once more, people here went all out.

Using fireworks had been legal for most Chinese people's childhood, and so the reinstatement really, really brought the kid out of everyone. Men (and it's almost exclusively men who "play" with them) gather in large groups and light off firecrackers all day long. I remember lighting M40's in newspaper boxes in grade 9. At night, all the families come out of their homes and gather in intermittent groups everywhere in the city, lighting firework after firework.

As a funny sidenote, I noticed that many women here were pretty scared of them, especially the groups of guys lighting off firecrackers. The firecrackers come in strings, and not all will ignite. So, some are left lying around. Kids run around and look for unignited firecrackers and light them off. They can be heard, literally, all day long, never more than 5 minutes pass without hearing a crackle or pop (and occasionally a snap too). Also, sometimes they ignite on their own while just lying around. Many times I witnessed women nearly running past zones which had been used for lighting firecrackers. And on top of that, all mothers become very worried about their children. Safety practices here are, well... lacking. So, overall, the women become a bit tense, and the men all turn into children.

Overall, I was amazed to see fireworks spouting out from every facet of the city. Everywhere. The smell of gunpowder is prevalent for many days. People here are allowed to light off fireworks for 15 days following the New Year, then it becomes illegal. Tomorrow is day 15, and I expect there will be a lot of last minute fireworks displays, and some cheap fireworks to be bought.

This is what nearly every corner of the city looks like every morning before people clean it up. It's firecracker remnants.