Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy New Year!

The new Chinese year started on 5.2. From dog to pig. On Monday afternoon, we went shopping again and it felt like the world was coming to an end. Almost all shelves were empty, there were only a few bananas left. We managed to get what we needed, as it seemed that the supermarket would be closed for several days.

At midnight, we watched a beautiful fireworks display from our balcony while a crazy New Year's show was on TV. Children dressed as pigs danced alongside adults wrapped in balloons.

The New Year's morning started quietly. After Jacob's nap, we drove to Chinatown. We expected either a ghost town or great celebrations. Neither was the case. Chinatown was as lively as ever, only a few shops were closed. Boring. But somehow expected. Because the actual celebrations take place before and after Chinese New Year (for example, the big parade is from 15th to 17th of February). However, we saw many Chinese people dressed in red and carrying bags full of mandarins on their way to their families.

On the second day of the holiday, we had something great planned. We dressed in red and made our way there. It was Open House at the Presidential Palace. Only the second time ever. Of course, I managed to break my middle toe in the morning, so I hobbled along. When we arrived at Orchard Road, we saw three long queues. But thanks to Jacob, we were able to use the priority lane and made our way faster. There was a proper security check, like at the airport, and behind it, we admired the huge park grounds. It was extremely hot and there was no shade, but luckily we had brought sunscreen. Since it was already 15:40, we headed directly to the Ceremonial Plaza to watch the Lion Dance at 16:00. Together with the president. However, since she is very small, only Alex caught a glimpse of her. At least I managed to see her pink headscarf. After seeing the grounds and my toe turning dark blue, we left. We took the train to the Hard Rock Cafe to have dinner there. Jacob immediately found a new friend. The waitress thought he was great, she constantly knelt next to our table and in the end, she even gave us a voucher for the next visit and a balloon from the decoration. And all that after Jacob cheekily handed her a cloth and then indicated with his hand that she should wipe the table. :-D

So we didn't experience much of Chinese New Year itself as we don't celebrate it. But we did get to experience the anticipation and the festive decorations beforehand!