An Eve for the New Year

It is Chinese New Year eve and we arrive at the small public square across the street from our home. The square is dark and empty. While Aidan and Lydia wait with anticipation, Yang asks the security guard if it is ok for us to set off our fireworks here. "Keyi, keyi 可以 (sure, sure)" comes the response. We make our ways towards the center of the square and light our sparklers. Its cold and dry and a bit windy so the sparkrs take a bit to light. Once lit, Lydia is waving and dancing and Aidan is stabbing and jaunting. Another group of people joins us on the square and they light fireworks that shoot maybe five stories high and explode in light. We quickly run through our meager supply and dash to the fireworks stand to buy more. I want to buy a box of high flying exploding rockets but don't want to lay down they cash (40 USD). We buy some more sparklers. In an unexpected occurrence of common sense, the fireworks stand does not have any matches.

Aidan and Lydia with sparklers
We had bought the fireworks near Yang's mom's home in Haidan district. Yihang had make quite a feast for dinner. Three vegetable dishes, one lean pork dish she knows I like because in a weak moment I admitted so, garlic shrimp, a couple of dishes I don't recall, and a full chicken in broth. The chicken was rumored to have arrived at the house with all its facilities in tact. Also on the table was wine and Chivas. I passed on both, they didn't seem to quite fit the occasion. Then again I passed on the chicken which in did perfectly fit the occasion in both freshness and tradition. Yihang made the dishes one by one, or two by two, with her two small gas burners. Her knee has some recently uncovered damage which makes walking slow and I imagine not comfortable and from time to time Yang would well, "Vince, help my mom" as if I should have some instinct when a dish should be carried from the kitchen to the dinning room.

Yang got Aidan and Lydia these really cool outfits for New Years. Notice Aidan's focus playing the Wii.

The fireworks don't seem nearly as loud or as prevalent this year. I'm not sure if that's because I'm used to it or it has really decreased. I walked outside the past three nights and saw young men tossing firecrackers at each other in jest, three young kids trying to light a rocket, and families gathered lighting their collective arsenal. The police drove around in slow circles. Occasionally the sidewalk in front of me would be fully of smoke and noise as a line of firecrackers were lit. Beijing is so dry in winter it is amazing the city doesn't burn during the festival and that there are not more personal injuries.

One thing for sure, Aidan and Lydia are growing up with a firm grasp of the role pyromania plays in their heritage.