This was our first year to be in our city for the entirety of the Chinese New Year Celebration. The last day of the year of the snake was on January 30 and January 31 began the year of the horse. Below are pictures and videos of our celebration.
One of our best local friends was out of the country for the holiday and his brother was celebrating with his fiance and her parents. Before he left, he gave us clear instructions to take care of his parents and celebrate with them so they wouldn't be lonely. We happily obliged. Above is the spread of appetizers we were served. That's right. These are just the pre-dinner. Dinner was a whole fish, mutton dumplings, beef and potato stew, sliced beef (maybe like brisket?) with dipping sauces, and some pickled vegetables.
Here are the girls with their adopted grandparents.
Because we had never been here for the whole celebration, neither James nor I realized that it is also an occasion to offer sacrifices to their ancestors. On our drive home we saw many families burning paper money or other items as gifts to their ancestors.
Our city square was decorated for the festivities.
Below are some videos of the fireworks displays we saw from our window. Most individual families' fireworks could put some cities' 4th of July celebrations to shame. Here is just a small sampling of the remnants the next day.
Another tradition for the New Year is to hang new "dui lianr" around your door. Dui Lianr are red strips of paper with words of blessing or good wishes that hang vertically on both sides of the front door, horizontally on top and a square, turned diagonally on the door. Many banks and stores give them away. When I went shopping a worker threw a stack of them in my cart. You can see what Catherine enjoyed doing with them.
These videos really don't do any justice to the fireworks we saw/heard/felt/tasted/smelled.
We live on the 18th floor, so we were quite literally in the middle of a fireworks show for a few hours. How the girls slept through it, I'm not sure. I'm grateful, I'm just not sure how they did it.
Perhaps it was all the dancing they did at our friends' house that worked up a good tired.
Here are the girls with their adopted grandparents.
Because we had never been here for the whole celebration, neither James nor I realized that it is also an occasion to offer sacrifices to their ancestors. On our drive home we saw many families burning paper money or other items as gifts to their ancestors. 
Below are some videos of the fireworks displays we saw from our window. Most individual families' fireworks could put some cities' 4th of July celebrations to shame. Here is just a small sampling of the remnants the next day.
Another tradition for the New Year is to hang new "dui lianr" around your door. Dui Lianr are red strips of paper with words of blessing or good wishes that hang vertically on both sides of the front door, horizontally on top and a square, turned diagonally on the door. Many banks and stores give them away. When I went shopping a worker threw a stack of them in my cart. You can see what Catherine enjoyed doing with them.
These videos really don't do any justice to the fireworks we saw/heard/felt/tasted/smelled.
We live on the 18th floor, so we were quite literally in the middle of a fireworks show for a few hours. How the girls slept through it, I'm not sure. I'm grateful, I'm just not sure how they did it.
Perhaps it was all the dancing they did at our friends' house that worked up a good tired.
