The Year Of The Rat

                     Happy Chinese New Year!  Festivities are well under way here in Sing!

We've been enjoying all the holiday decorations, treats, and performances.  The air is pretty electric too, it seems along with the break of the rainy season, the holiday puts every one in a great mood.  Larry and I went down to Chinatown the weekend before the actual start of New Year, and had a blast walking around the night market, buying some fun stuff, and of course taking pictures.  Here is a good definition of Chinese New Year.  The fast food chains even get in on the market, and have special menu items, such as "prosperity pizza" at pizza hut, and a special beef and prosperity mushroom sandwich at Mcdonalds, along with a yummy sweet red bean pie.  mmmmm.

The whole city is decked out in red, gold, sparkly lights and pink cherry blossoms.  Colorful lanterns are all over the place, and everywhere you look, there are really wonderful and slightly tacky cardboard cutouts of laughing Buddas.  Tangerines are a common gift, and if you visit another house during the season, you take 2 tangerines with you, and are given 2 when you leave, as a symbol of sweetness and prosperity in the new year.  All the cab drivers have 2 in their car, usually smushed up in the front windows. If you are single, you are giving red envelopes, called ang pao, which translates to red packet.  They are filled with money....how come we never had a nifty tradition like that in the states when I was single?  Our apartment complex hosted a lion dance team, and I took some cool video. I'm trying to figure out how to upload it, I think the file may be too big. Unfortunately, Larry is back in Seattle for work, and is missing all the fun.  Definitely a big bummer, as we have both been looking forward to it since last March, when we came on our honeymoon, and everyone was just finishing up, and walking around in a tangerine, waxed duck, ton o' candy stupor.  I've been doing a little exploring though, and have some good pictures for him.  Here are some below, Happy New Year!