Happy Lunar New Year of the Rabbit!

Immediately started the Yr of the Rabbit in response to many Asian culturesso I need to I want you all an exquisite Lunar New Yr! I I hope it brings you all of the luck, success, enjoyable, cash, good well being, high quality time with the individuals you like, intercourse (and hopefully good too) and no matter you dream up.

are you aware that This was the primary yr that I truly celebrated Chinese language New Yr in China, so I wish to take this event to let you know what my expertise was like. So yeah, at this time I am not going to speak to you about fields of view or frames per second, however about enjoyable and meals…that are far more attention-grabbing. The lifetime of a journey blogger is extra attention-grabbing than the lifetime of a VR blogger, perhaps I ought to take into account a profession change ?

Earlier than I let you know about my expertise, I simply need to level out that China is a large and heterogeneous nation, so the expertise you had could differ from that of different individuals within the nation. I am in Qingdao, which is on the japanese aspect of the nation, and in addition fairly north, and I am positive issues in different cities like Shenzhen, which is farther south, won’t be fairly the identical. So do not take my expertise for example of what is occurring in all of China… It is simply my expertise.

My expectations for the Chinese language New Yr celebrations have been the identical as these of the American film years. In lots of movies, the primary characters discover themselves within the Chinese language metropolis of some main American metropolis, simply on the time when the New Yr celebrations are happening. And in these sequences, I might all the time see Many individuals are chanting within the streets Whereas there have been numerous pink lanterns within the sky and The performers create lengthy dragons that transfer round, Whereas some ritual songs are performed within the background. I used to be particularly curious to see the dragons present. And I am nonetheless curious that none of this occurred.

I simply needed to see this…

The festivities right here have been a lot totally different than I anticipated. To begin with, I get it More often than not, it’s about spending some high quality time with your loved ones members. It is not about critical events, or issues like that, it is extra about getting dwelling, getting ready for celebrations with your loved ones, cooking with them, consuming with them, and simply having fun with your private connections. It is not even about doing loopy issues with your loved ones, like bungee leaping, it is nearly being collectively. It’s kind of like Christmas for us Italians: You keep together with your family members, eat quite a bit, and provides items to one another. I served some good meals to my hosts, they usually gave me again the beautiful toy bunny you see within the profile image. And identical to at Christmas, basic actions aren’t so essential. I requested concerning the dragon present and was instructed that generally Qingdao organizes some public occasions for the brand new yr, but it surely’s not yearly, and often, Dragons don’t play a related function right here. Rattling, this has shattered my goals.

Then I received it Meals can also be crucial. After I received dwelling within the early afternoon, the mother and father of the household began making me style some Chinese language meals that isn’t often obtainable exterior. I do know a little bit Chinese language, however I am not expert sufficient to have the ability to preserve a full household dialog, so Wherever I do not know what to say, I ate issues. As they talked a lot, and understood so little, I spent the entire afternoon consuming an excessive amount of. I had already eaten sufficient when dinner was prepared, and it was stuffed with scrumptious selfmade Chinese language meals, this I ate till my abdomen exploded. Whereas I used to be recovering from the trouble, somebody requested me “Would you want some sweets?”. I might actually explode, however I am Italian, and I am unable to say no when somebody affords me some candy meals. So I am used to My secondary abdomen is just too dedicated to sweets to eat some wonderful cake.

I am unable to say no to cake, actually (Picture from Reddit)

I used to be like a blowfish mendacity on the couch and my abdomen exploded when the daughter of the household instructed me “Now we’re making dumplings”.

Actually…meals once more??

No, severely, I needed to invoke the Geneva Conference to keep away from making dumplings. However it’s a conventional factor for households in northern China, and saying no could be very offensive, so I helped them make dumplings. I hoped we might make it and go away it on the desk like a ornament, however the steps after that have been cooked and eaten. I used to be given a full plate of meat pies, which have been wonderful. Yesterday I came upon that I even have a 3rd abdomen for dumplings. Which is an efficient factor and will nonetheless come in useful sooner or later.

A part of the dumplings that now we have ready. There’s additionally an unique within the type of Italian dumplings

Again on the couch, I believed that each one the meals I ate that day may very well be used to resolve world starvation. And after some time, I received a brand new query: “Do you need to eat some fruit?”.

I am unable to say no

Seems the one dragons I noticed have been in my intestine all evening.

That is what I felt inside for hours

The opposite factor that stunned me was the fireworks. All night, individuals have been setting off fireworks, fireworks, and different related objects, all around the metropolis. After I appeared out the window, I might see that in no matter route I appeared, somebody was in that a part of city blowing one thing up. We additionally launched issues to have a good time the New Yr in Italy, however this was on one other stage: fireworks all over the place, all evening lengthy. After I went out to mild some sparklers myself too (to keep away from consuming for 10 minutes), There was a relentless noise of explosions… It was like being in a warfare zone. I have been instructed that the extent of fireworks remains to be underwhelming when in comparison with 5 years in the past… And if that’s disappointing, I am unable to think about the explosions up to now. I have been instructed that doing bangs is conventional to thrust back evil spirits for the brand new yr, so it is a part of the festivities.

One thing I didn’t anticipate in any respect was that folks would mild bonfires on the road sides and burn a particular form of paper to recollect their ancestors and ship them some form of reward. There’s a big day devoted to this celebration, however many individuals right here have been nonetheless doing this ritual on New Yr’s Eve as a result of it’s a crucial day. I did not take an image of the disrespect of this intimate second, however in any case it was one thing very distinctive to me, particularly for the reason that taxi that introduced me dwelling needed to dodge a couple of of them.

The TV is about to CCTV 1, which is the primary TV channel right here. There was a TV present devoted to the brand new yr, with some enjoyable sketches and a few conventional songs and ballets. The issue is that it is already laborious for me to grasp Chinese language, and this present did not even have subtitles, so I used to be utterly misplaced. I appeared on the photos more often than not, however even right here I did not see any dragons. Rattling, they actually needed to make it laborious for me. However in all the present, I managed to get one joke proper, so no less than I had fun. This was a internet optimistic, as a result of I am afraid laughing a lot my abdomen would possibly explode, so Not understanding something saved my life. In Italy, once we have a good time the photo voltaic new yr, we often have a timer on a regular basis displayed on the display, but it surely seems that within the CCTV present they solely begin counting down when it is -10 seconds to midnight. I WAS TOTALLY COOL WHEN OHMYGODITS10SECONDSNOWWEHAVETOMAKEATOAST. It was as if the firefighters heard the bell and needed to hurry up and go put out some fireplace. Emergency mode was activated: I needed to instantly prepare for the celebration.

In the midst of the evening I had a little bit pleasure. I made a decision to pattern the Chinese language beijiu, which I used to be instructed up to now by a few of my pals tasted like gasoline. Ingesting a sip from a bottle purchased on the grocery store, I can verify that it tastes like petrol, and given the value of gas in Italy at current, I feel we should always take into account it a viable different to place in our automobiles.

Glad New Yr bunny everybody

On the finish of the day, I can let you know that Spending the Lunar New Yr right here was an pleasant expertise. It was very totally different than I anticipated, extra private and intimate than insanely enjoyable, however I am glad I skilled it. And with that heat in my coronary heart, As soon as once more I want you an exquisite Chinese language New Yr and a Glad Sunday! And I hope you see some dragons too…


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