Chinese New Year this year fell on January 31 with the event of the New Moon. As always, it lasts for 15 days culminating in the Lantern Festival on February 14th. This year it was a ‘double holiday’ as it was also the Western Valentine’s Day – a holiday that is becoming increasingly more popular, especially with the younger generation.

This is the year of the horse. It is to be a year of adventure and good fortune for China. You can read more about the Horse Zodiac symbol here on Wikipedia

We bought some candy at the local Century Mart and handed it out to all the people who take care of our apartment building: Management, Security, Maintenance, Cleaning, etc. There were 20 in all. Just our way of thanking them for keeping this place in such nice shape. The ladies got the pink horses with their candy, the men just got candy.

My in-laws neighbors brought them a cake for the new year. So they invited us over for a piece, or two. It looked like a valentines cake, but this was around Feb 1st. and it tasted like a wedding cake. My wife assured me it was Chinese New Year cake, It was far sweeter than I had anticipated as usually cake here is not that sweet.

The local retail district had an ice sculpture on display. Since it rarely, if ever, get below freezing here during the winter (or summer for that matter – duh), they enclosed it in its own glass freezer.

We also visited GuYi Garden on the 5th day of the new year. Its apparently a tradition to visit this park, enjoy all the decorations (especially at night) and eat lots of steamed mantos (like steamed dumplings. It supposed to be even prettier at night when all the lanterns are all lit up, we we never got a change to get back there at night. Perhaps next year.

[slideshow_deploy id=’526′]

 

Many people in our neighborhood shoot off fireworks during this holiday (just about every day). Due to concerns over the air quality, explosive celebrations were a bit dialed back this year. But as luck would have it, we are high enough in our building that when people shoot off fireworks in the parking lot, we get a level birds-eye view of the event! And Thor is NOT afraid of ANYTHING! So you can see his silhouette, along with my wife’s in the window watching the fireworks go off!

 

Out the front window, we could see lots of other neighborhoods shooting off their fireworks in the distance. It was kinda like a very pretty war zone!

 

We lit some fireworks at my in-laws place the first night as well. Fireworks and some Roman Candles. Unfortunately, the roman candles were duds and not as spectacular as we had hoped. Perhaps with all the rain and humidity, they got a little too damp.

 

That all we have for now. Hope everyone had a great holiday!!