新年快乐 - Happy New Year of the Ox
Photo © Rob Jones
新年快乐 - a.k.a ‘Happy New Year.’
Don’t expect to hear anything from China for the next ten days - the country is on holiday.
New Year was one of those times in China that really felt like a truly crazy experience.
Fearing that I wouldn’t be able to buy food (which of course was silly) I checked into a hotel for a few days during the start of the ‘Spring Festival.’ I wasn’t alone. My hotel was full of foreigners uncertain what to expect. Probably a wise move.
I was there round about the last time fireworks were allowed (2016/2017). They were banned in the big cities on environmental grounds. What harm could a few fireworks do? Probably little. Only, there weren’t a just a few fireworks. There were masses. It was like a war zone. Hours upon hours of the biggest noisiest fireworks you could imagine.
Now, I like fireworks. But by about 3am, I was beginning to tire of the endless arial bombardment.
Photo © Rob Jones
And it wasn’t just in the air? It was on the ground. It was from rooftops and pavements, gardens and even from car windows. Beijing’s normal murky air quickly became even murkier until it seemed more like a peasouper.
But that was then.
Now it’s banned. But what a decision that must have been. The Chinese invented fireworks. They’ve been a feature of Spring Festival for hundreds of years. The idea is that firecrackers are used to expel ‘Nian', a dragon like monster.
Anyhow - Let’s hear it for the year of the Ox.
Comes round every 12 years. I was born in the year of the Ox. That’s a good sign. I am a Metal Ox. (You could also be a Fire, Earth, Water or Wood Ox.). This year is also a Metal Ox year which is even more auspicious.
Male Oxen are said to be honest, dilligent, dependable, strong, and determined. We are strongly patriotic and have ideals and ambitions for life. On the bad side we are poor communicators and are stubborn.(AMM will be the judge of this.)
Numbers 1 and 4 are lucky. 5 and 6 are not. Tulips are lucky, as is white, yellow and green. Blue is unlucky. North and south are my lucky directions. South West is not.
Lucky careers are being a chemist or an estate agent?
So, how to celebrate, if you can’t have fireworks.
There are seven lucky foods: Fish for prosperity; Dumplings for wealth; Spring Rolls for … more wealth; Sweet Rice Balls for family togetherness; Good Fortune fruit for fullness and … more wealth; Glutinous Rice Cakes for more pay and position; and Longevity Noodle for happiness and a long life.
That’s dinner this week sorted then.
RJ
