Spring festival this year was spent
at my host dad’s hometown in Zhejiang province and was filled with food, fireworks and family.
Fireworks at the ready.
When we arrived in the little farming village of 竺州
(Zhuzhou) we were greeted by the family's tradition of cooking a large animal and distributing it to family and friends over a period of about three days. The animal was a dog, and it was a big one. Most places in China
don’t do this, mainly just poorer agricultural areas where other kinds of meat
are scarce or more expensive. It's just the way it is. Try not to judge.
Butchering the meat to share.
My host brother, my host dad’s nephew 大好 (Dahao) and I lit a couple boxes of
fireworks to scare away demons for the new year. After that, we went inside to watch the Chinese equivalent to the
Times Square new year party on TV. However, this televised event is different from the
American one in that there is no ball dropped, but there are music groups, dance routines and other performances. Some of
these performances consisted of exuberant magic shows and enthralling acts of physical talents. The show is broadcast nationwide across China.
At exactly midnight the real party started. Outside we
heard the explosions of dozens of flowery multi colored fireworks. This display
of fireworks was by far the most awe-inspiring and extraordinary firework event
I’ve ever seen. The experience in this small farming village dwarfed any
firework show put on during a U.S. New Year's celebration or on the 4th of July. It was by far the most beautiful fireworks show I have ever seen.
The sound was pounding. It seemed like we were
in a war zone or an air-raid. Every fraction of a second blasts were going off
and they didn’t stop… not until 10 a.m. -- the next day -- and this was the only
downside. I only got about three hours of sleep that night. The sound was so
intense that even with my ear buds in and iPod blaring at full volume, I still
couldn’t sleep. In the morning I restlessly got out of bed and trotted into the
kitchen where I hand-picked a couple steamed buns to eat for breakfast.
Steamed buns.
After
breakfast we visited the tomb of my host father’s grandparents. We set out some
food, including seaweed, apples, oranges and candy; we also put out some cups of
whisky. This was all just in case their deceased relatives got hungry in heaven
and wanted a snack. After putting out the food we burned some fake money and
prayed.
My host brother,大好, at the tomb of his great grandparents.
Burnt offerings.
After returning to the house, we were invited over to a friend’s
house for lunch. Like most social gatherings in China, the foreigner is the
main attraction. I got lots of attention, asked many questions and was encouraged
to eat a couple strange foods.
Me.
Chinese style lunch.
Mahjong.
Couple of older guys.
After lunch my host brother and I watched some TV. We watched a popular Chinese TV series, 爱情公寓
(aiqinggongyuan). It's a lot like the Big Bang
Theory on American TV.
At dinner we were once again served a 竺州 delicacy, dog. Later that night 大好 and I
set off fireworks on the roof of the house. We set off a couple of fountains,
big flying fireworks and a firework-gun (possibly one of the most dangerous
fireworks I’ve ever used).
Because my host brother had so much homework, we had
to go back to Shanghai after only two days in the village. We said all our goodbyes and received some 红包 or
little red bags with money inside.
Like I said, the spring festival, from my point of view, was about food, fireworks and family.
