More to come on my adventure in Malaysia and Singapore soon, but for now I feel the need to share with everyone what is currently happening right outside my window. Today is the Lantern Festival, or Yuan-Xiao Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month and officially ends the Chinese New Year celebration. The festival is celebrated not only in China, but in much of Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
On this day, children carry paper lanterns with riddles, solving them and releasing the lanterns into the air, hence the name "Lantern Festival." In addition, the Chinese eat small sweet dumplings made from glutinous rice filled with peanut, sesame and other paste flavorings. They become soft and gooey when boiled.
Most notably, however, is the modern tradition of setting of fireworks throughout the city. This is why I write this post. I have not been able to get a good enough picture to prove it to you, but I kid you not, there have been fireworks exploding just outside my window -- and all over this city of almost 20 million -- all day long. Since it is the last day that the city will allow civilians to set off fireworks in celebration of the new year, they are going all out.
And when I say fireworks, I don't mean those silly little crackers that pop and make noise when you throw them on the ground. I mean big, colorful, loud-ass fireworks exploding in a big way in the MIDDLE OF A GODDAMN CITY. Which if I had to bet, will go on all night...
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