Chinese New Year

Just to pick up where I left off last night.... I FEEL so much BETTER! There is snot, but there is no more migraine like pressure in the sinuses; such relief that I didn't even call the doctor this am! What an early night to bed and a good night sleep can do. Two more solid nights and I might even be well! Accordingly, I'm sneaking this post in during the 1 pm nap.

So last Sunday, February 8th, was the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. After two weeks of teen to mid-20s degree weather in NYC, last Sunday the temperature rocketed to the mid 50s in the afternoon so we ran down to Chinatown to catch the dragon dances. In NYC the dragons were sponsored by different martial arts groups, and they danced from noon to 6 pm on the Chinatown streets that were closed to car traffic, and are rather athletic (in my opinion). It was great!

I love NY, but it always surprises me how I can be transported to another world via the subway. We took the boys down, and the streets were crowded/festive, but there were few Caucasian families running around. Even with a celebration this big, DS1 was the only blond I saw on the scene.

There were drummers with each dragon. For the most part the drums were in little hand-push wagons and the drummers walked along side them. The dragons were only 2-5 people long, but they went through the crowds, up and down stoops, and in and out of shops, chasing away last year's bad luck and welcoming a fresh new year. DS2 loves music and a good beat. While he was up on my shoulders, as a best viewing spot, I could feel him wiggling his hips, waving his arms and clapping his hands along with the drums.

The shops were selling little rocket launchers full of confetti. I'm pretty sure this is illegal in NY, but the police have a way of looking the other direction for festive traditions. There were tons of these little rocket launchers being shot, and confetti on the ground everywhere. There is just something about confetti which is so festive. It brings out my "inner child".

After touring the area once, we stopped at one centrally located restaurant. It was really the only place where I saw other Caucasian families, but that definitely wasn't the reason we chose it. It had fish, crabs, els and other water creatures in tanks up front. The boys loved this, but didn't really get the concept that they were there to be eaten. The host was surprised that DS1 ordered dumplings and BBQ chicken strips, but was even more surprised when we had to put in a second order of each because the food was quite spectacular.

I'm sure I've said it before, but I really love Chinese New Year. It is awesome celebration of bringing great hope to the new year, with family, friends and a lot of noise. I like that it just dismisses last year as something that has passed, but is now done. On to a New Year!