I'm skipping church today to be a lazy bum. That's right. Not a great way to start the CNY, but hey, everyone's on holiday today (meaning all my friends are outside of Macau), it's gray and cold outside, and I just want to hibernate. :) I might get out after awhile to see the celebrations, though I have a good idea of what they'll be: a few parades, maybe a lion dance, some vendors selling CNY flowers and trinkets, and every now and then, someone will yell, and a string of firecrackers will go off, scaring me out of my skin. There goes one now...
It's my fourth Chinese New Year in China, and I have no idea where the time has gone! I still love being here, and I really enjoy seeing how families get together and have special traditions, just like we do at home. Here's some photos from the Year of the Snake celebrations:
Lanterns set up in the square near my apartment. The little snake is so cute!
The Lanterns in Senado Square.
I bought a "fu" sign for my door. The character means "luck" and is often hung upside down this time of year. The word for "upside down" sounds like "coming" so it's like saying that good luck is coming when the sign is hung upside down. In case you can't tell, it's right-side up in my photo.
On Thursday night, some colleagues and I went to the flower market. It is set up this time of year, every year, in one of the local squares. Everyone buys flowers for the Spring Festival (the Chinese New Year). The orchids are just beautiful. I plan to buy one after the prices go down next week.
Barbara's kids, Mario and Rebecca, Monica and Miranda (my colleagues).
Me and Monica. Monica's a good friend, and we work together closely on our classes (she's also my head teacher for level 0).
These are just random decorations from around town. The little orange trees appear everywhere, and people give hong bao (red envelopes) with money inside and tie them to the trees. I have a few hong bao for my front-desk men (the second to last picture is my apartment lobby).
I'll leave you with a video I took on my first amazing Chinese New Year in Beijing. The fireworks are not nearly as awesome here in Macau - thanks to tighter government regulations. There are only a few designated areas for fireworks here - a lot safer but a lot less fun and chaotic! Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment