Chinese Newyear at Laizhou 2008

This a post is written more than a month too late... and is meant to add some explanation to the uploaded pictures in : http://picasaweb.google.com/frederbau/20080207_ChineseNewYearLaizhou .

Chinese Newyear or Springfestival is the biggest event in Asia. Many compare it the Christmas and Newyear in the West, but there are a lot of differences though. You can read about the festival itself on a posting from me at my work : http://www.antique-chinese-furniture.com/blog/2008/01/23/chinese-newyear-2008/ .


It was the first time to experience this festival. It promised to be magnificent, but I came back a little disappointed. It is mainly a "being together" for the family, and as often in China, it's all about the intention, showing respect, following tradition than enjoying, party, fun.
As a consequence I do not have much that I feel the need to type down about this. Most important for me was that I had a holiday, fulfilled my duty to the family (oops), experienced it.

EVERY damn day we had to go to eat at some member of the family's place. There is a certain order to respect, first eldest, father side of family, ...
Newyears eve itself is nothing that special, just EAT. More important is the morning after, everyone has to get up early, doors open, family and friends all pass y to wish you good fortune in the next year. ( simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; pinyin: Xīnnián kuàilè , but for some strange reason in the West people know more the Cantonese version : Kung Hei Fat Choi ).

What else is there to mention ? :

- fireworks, incredible, during three weeks every day morning till evening. Meant to chase away the bad spirits. NY'eve I went out and almost go deaf, my ears have been beeping the whole next day. EVERYONE needs to do it. On the last day of the 3 weeks festival it " lantern day" , the day we cam e back to Beijing. That day EVERYWHERE non-stop from 5 pm till 1 am, you see fireworks in the city at a hundred places at the same time. Driving home with my bike that day I could hardly breath because of all the smoke ...

- Ancestors, it is all about respecting the ancestors. That is shown by burning incense in front of the Budha. Most homes have a little altar with a image/statue of Budha. There they make offerings of food and coins to the ones who died...
- Money, it's all about the cash. As soon as kids earn money, they have to give "red envelopes". I could write a whole page about what is the meaning of money in China. It is very different that in the West, and as much as I don't like the Western concept I don't like the Chinese concept. Money here is "status, position, power,..." Parents have to be given money, event hough they don't need it (and I assure you it's not just a little money!). Kids, baby's get red envelopes, but not toys, toys are not used in the traditional Chinese regions (which makes it look like an indoctrination of "how important cash is"). I hate it, I prefer to give presents ! And the red envelopes it's really "handing it over", there's hardly a thank you (except the kids, they have to bow on their knees in front of you to pay respect).

- drinking, is done in all families, but in mine not too much. There is one rich uncle who had 12 years old Chivas at his home for me, but for the rest it's all pi jou (beer) and bai jou (white alcohol, chinese sake, bit like bad tasting vodka) (sometimes a 100$ bottle)

- ... that's it I think.

So it's pretty clear that it's not "my cup of tea". I did enjoy being in Laizhou, and seeing the real China, not the westernized capitals. Most of all I like the countryside, where some members of the family still live in farmer's villages, as in the communist days. We play mahjong , I take picture of the old houses, relax and rest.


In the gallery there's more pictures showing : changing the sign at the entrance door, Jiajia youngest of the family showing her special moves to me, family shots, photo albums with some weird context and "chinglish", ...