Chinese New Year

What does Chinese New Year mean to you, boys and girls? To you it might mean a chance for new beginnings, a fresh lease on life, a commitment to learn Mandarin. To me, Chinese New Year means a chance to lit up hundreds of fireworks that are quite illegal, a fresh breath of smoky air as the fireworks are chasing me down the river, and a commitment to spark off more illegal fireworks..

That's right, family and friends. I , Julie Adams, lit not one but several 3 feet-tall Roman Candles while holding the base in my sweaty nervous palm. Not only did I love it, but my arm didn't even fall off the way my Dad said it would. (My dad: "I swear, a buddy of mine did that and his arm fell straight off! Now he can't tie his own shoelaces!" Didn't stop Dad from lighting them that way, however!) Nor did I "put someone's eye out" though, in my gaping-mouth exuberance, I did catch a few stray sparks on my tongue.

Chinese New Year reminded me a lot of joining in the Loy Kathong Festival in Thailand. Lots of fireworks that are supposedly illegal but abundant, lots of three-year-olds toddling down the streets with a lighter in one hand and a Roman Candle in the other, and most importantly, lots of really drunk people deliberately aiming fireworks at other people. Sounds fun, huh?

Alex got excited about the firework aspect when we spotted the kids with fireworks and was really begging to buy some. I was nervous. I was hoping we could just observe them and then talk about the cultural significance over a hot toddy near a fireplace somewhere while speaking in British accents. What changed my mind? Well, we were walking down the main tourist drag, and ran into two Aussie guys who were having a firework fight with two Chinese kids. We timed it just right, in that the fireworks were shooting all around us, and ramming in walls, and exploding on storefronts while we were trying to dart through. We ducked into a pub, and sat down to wait until the firework fight was over.

I was half way through my first hot toddy when Alex suggested rather gently, that maybe it MIGHT be kind of fun if we possibly purchased some illegal ,unsafe, deregulated fireworks. I was further persuaded when he bought me another hot toddy, to wash down the first. After a bit of discussion and a little more liquid courage, we marched off into the night in search of fire.

The Li River is the best place to shoot them off, as it's lined with cement and there's no one on the other side to hit. We bought a pile of Roman Candles, and dozens of sparklers, as well as the BANG-POP kind, (don't know what they are called) that are really loud with just a little bit of flash at the end. Alex is a bit of pyromaniac, though I don't know too many men who aren't, and he immediately set to work trying to scare the living hell out of everyone else on the river.

He would have been successful if we were the only people with fireworks on the river, but we only spent $5, and other people spent much much more! We shot off fireworks until we ran out, and then stood back to watch as the night sky lit up over the river.

And just for the record, "drinking" and "fireworks" don't mix. And "illegal" and "fireworks" don't mix. But in the right situations, you have to bend your own rules a little bit and hope to God your arm doesn't fall off because of it.

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