snap, crackle, pop (!) your way into the year of the rabbit!

 A loves Z!

That last one's supposed to be a "Z."

Say it with fireworks!

Chun Jie - the most important and longest of all the Chinese holidays - has finally come to an end in Beijing. That means no more long lines for traveling (not that we left the city limits anyhow), no more fireworks, no more crowded temple festivals, no more stuffing our faces with jiaozi all in the name of tradition. 

Call it what you will - Chun Jie, Spring Festival, Chinese New Year - it is all about celebrating with family, friends and the important people in your life. It is a tradition that began centuries ago to ring in the new year according to the lunar calendar, and one which has morphed into its present day seemingly endless stream of frivolity and auditory chaos. Today's silence is hard to comprehend after two straight weeks of constant explosions; there was no denying it was the holiday season here with fireworks booming and popping and whizzing and whirring around the clock. At 9:00 each day on my way to class, I had to approach corners with the utmost tact and stealth. You never want to bike straight into the battle. You want to approach it from the side, and swerve around the streams of dancing pyrotechnics. After just three days, I was perfecting my best "duck and cover" routine around all the impromptu firework war zones. Then a week passed by and I was starting to be lulled into Chun Jie submission.  Have you ever been lulled into submission by 10,000 exploding firecrackers? It sounds impossible, but somehow Beijingers manage this feat. 

fireworks/firecrackers/general explosive devices for sale

A view of our "backyard" on Chinese New Year's Eve. 
For video of New Year's Eve check out our YouTube channel

the blurry aftermath of explosions on a Beijing street

During our two weeks off from class and research, we also stopped by a temple festival at Ditan Park. The crowds were unbelievable! I know, I know. It's China. There are always crowds. 1.3 billion people. But how'd they all fit inside Ditan Park that day? 

The temple festivals have become a sort of hybrid celebration: What I saw struck me as a combination of Jersey shore games, traditional Chinese song and dance performances and acrobatics, and a whole lot of fried carnival food. Once As you push your way through the crowds, it is easy to get swept up in the playful atmosphere.  One minute you are cheering for the guy next to you trying his hand at the ring toss, and another minute you are buying tickets for the lily pad game so you can win a giant stuffed frog for yourself (or your sweetheart).

Is that Hello Kitty winking at you in the corner?

leave it to the Jersey girl to find the shore games!

Step right up, folks! 

my mom would love this!

ready to go to a loving home

acrobats and balancing acts - if you can see past the crowd!

The dizzying display of red lanterns around the temples and all across the city are reminders of good luck and prosperity for the new year. Red is everywhere and for good reason: the auspicious and ubiquitous color symbolizes good fortune, joy, truth, sincerity, and wards off evil spirits and bad luck! I did my Chun Jie duty and went out to buy new clothing for the new year: a red shirt that I bargained for myself at Yashow Clothing Market just down the street from our place.

even a gloomy day shines through when red lanterns are everywhere

I even got to help out a friend in New Jersey by hosting a skype session with her fifth grade class about Chinese New Year. Z - the China scholar and historian, the one with the facts - was under the weather when we were scheduled for our little session, so it became a one-woman show. I gave a short lesson on why "we" celebrate Chinese New Year, and I shared my experiences with the kids about what it is like to live in Beijing. They were a lively, enthusiastic class and they asked engaging and smart questions.  There is no way when I was their age I could have imagined talking to someone by video halfway around the globe!



Let's close out this Chun Jie blog with the cutest little new year bunny you ever did see...