Fireworks, Fireworks, and More Fireworks

春节, or Chinese New Year. You can have any idea of this that you want, but unless you have actually experienced the New Year in China, then you don't have an idea of it. Aside from the Lantern Festival that happens later on next month, it is probably the biggest, most celebrated holiday. It would not be an underestimation to say that the whole city gets involved, and that at midnight, the whole city celebrates.

Today, it was family day, so to speak. We all had to stay up until 12, because it was New Years. Yesterday, we drove around and dropped off presents for all of the family members, and bought fireworks, and firecrackers, and lots of them. There are stalls everywhere around the city, bursting at the seams with fireworks. These things would never be allowed in America. It's funny, my sister demands that we all have to go buy fireworks, but she is scared of them. Sparklers it is.

My grandparents came over for dinner. New Years is a big family thing, and there are a bunch of tradtions that I am not used to. As it started to get darker, the fireworks started to increase, and the firecrackers got more intense. The huge bangs that shook the city set car alarms off, which only added to the chaos of noise that is Chinese New Years. I sat the window for at least a half an hour, just watching the fireworks (and listening to the firecrackers) that were being set off across the city. They were everywhere, as far as the ey could see. The only way to really describe it is that the city was celebrating.

I tried to stay up with my family, but they were just watching a New Years program on tv, and when you are tired, it is not the best idea to watch tv (that you can't understand) while on a very comfy couch. I kept going back to my room, until I finally just crashed on my bed and took a short nap. My mom and my sister woke up up at ten to twelve, and we went downstairs to watch the fireworks. I realized when I walked out of my room that I missed the making jiao zi thing, which everyone does. You are supposed to eat jiao zi (dumplings) at midnight, for good luck I think. I never actually got a straight answer.

Getting downstairs, when it was midnight, is something that I can't even describe properly. It was a frenzy, to see just how many fireworks could be set off in the shortest amount of time. The sky basically exploded. All over the road, fireworks were being set off, in a close proximity to each other. I am surprised that no one was killed from a firework going off in their face. Cars would weave in and out when the fireworks were done, only adding to the chaos.

Sometimes, you could have believed it was the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night, there were so many fireworks. The noise was incredible, as everything that could be lit was lit. People were standing around, watching and celebrating. There were fireworks bouncing off of buildings (doesn't seem like too smart of an idea to me) and at one point, fireworks that backfired all over the parking lot. One big flaming hunk fell on a bush and set it on fire, but people just ran over with blankets, beat it out, and kept setting fireworks like it wasn't a problem. Ambulances and fire trucks were circling around, waiting to pick up someone, or put a fire out. It was ridiculous.

The celebrations lasted at least an hour and a half, and easily hundreds of thousands of fireworks were set off. I didn't even know that many fireworks could be made, much less set off. My family and I went back upstairs at about 12:30 to watch fireworks from a better angle, and to eat jiao zi (饺子). In usual Chinese tradition, kept telling me to eat more and more until I was stuffed. I was wired, by this point, and stayed up until at least 2, watching fireworks and movies. My family went to bed, but after a celebration like that, how could I?

It really was amazing. I have never seen anything like it, and unless I keep coming back for Chinese New Year, I doubt I ever will. All the fireworks that had been set off just got left in the street for someone else to pick up, and walking through, it is staggering how many empty, massive boxes there were. This has not done this festival justice at all, but I gave it a go. Happy New Years, everyone!