ChunJie Begins!

You are getting two reports of the festivities here, one from each of us. Things are crazy here right now. I think any evil spirits they thought were about have all been chased away by the fireworks last night, this morning and now, noon. Earplugs are a must have this time of year. Last night it was impossible to sleep since it was the first day of ChunJie. We decided to brave the cold and walk around outside for a little while. Armed with earplugs, ear muffs and a hat that covered them, we set out. I was immediately grateful for the mufflers as the noise was so loud, it made the ground beneath our feet rumble and our stomachs quiver. From our apartment, we could feel the vibrations too, as if our city were under attack, but not like this! There were officers standing nearby but only to make sure that certain types of fireworks were placed in a box before lit, since they danced and sent sparks everywhere. They did not however, keep little children from standing amongst the lit pipes. One child was hitting the ones that had been set off already. I had to turn my head so I would not witness him losing a finger or two. Where were his parents? Nothing happened to him thankfully and finally a lady told him to get away. There were little unsupervised pyros everywhere. The bouquets of colors that exploded right over our heads were beautiful and frightening at the same time. All that firepower, how do more people not get injured? I know, I sound like my mother. But one man who spoke pretty good English told us that some people go blind on this night and even die. Am I the only one who sees a problem with this? There were many fireworks used that I know would be illegal in the US. We got tired of the noise and decided to sit in McDonalds for awhile with a cup of coffee. There were more people there than I had ever seen! Staying open on this night was a genius financial decision. We warmed up and decided to head back to our apartment when the whole building began trembling. Everyone ran outside to see what was happening. The government had set up their own display in the park across the road. Wow! It was like the finales of all US fireworks displays put together, and then some. It must have lasted an hour. It ended as we reached the first floor balcony of our apartment building. Traffic was backed up as people just parked in the road and stood and watched. Why do we have such a fascination with fireworks? Is it the noise or is it the amazing ability to create stunning artwork in the sky with the light of a match? Whatever the reason, I wonder how fascinated we will be after the next week and a half? The noise continued all morning and our apartment often smells like the building is on fire since our neighbors light the loud popping ones right in the hallway. Welcome to China!
Mandy