It is now officially the Year of the Tiger.
The View from my Apartment Window at Midnight Feb. 13
Thank goodness. I really dislike the time of the year between Jan. 1 and the Chinese New Year. It’s just too confusing. And it was so long this year — a whole month and a half. Even though the Jan. 1 new year is a holiday that is observed, in this interim time between the two eves, people still refer to 2010 as “next year.” It confuses me constantly.
We had a delightful dinner with a local family on New Year’s Eve. What a treat to be invited into their home on the most important holiday of the year. And the food was awesome. Because it was a celebration, there was lots of meat.
Fish
Pork, Chicken (with dark skin), Sausage, and Ham
Can I share a secret? I ate wild cat meat.
Wild Cat Meat
I don’t know exactly what animal it was. They used the words wild and cat. A wild cat that lives in the mountains. It was very, very tasty. Don’t tell Maxie and Oreo.
Don’t forget my contest. You’ve still got plenty of time to celebrate.
Eating strange meats is not necessary. <grin>
Celebrating in the apartment complex
The new year was welcomed with a truly deafening amount of fire crackers and fireworks. The whole city sounded and looked like a war zone with the crescendo coming at midnight.
The red part is firecrackers. At the end is a strand of M80s — each tube is a fifth of a stick of dynamite. (This information is from my husband who seems to be quite the connoisseur of fireworks and things that explode.)
Firecrackers and Explosives!
I was horrified at the sound of those M80′s. It was so strikingly loud that I had to hide behind him and cover my ears. And all around me were children, unaffected in the least.
It’s a glorious time for children (from their perspective, at least). They are given matches (!), fireworks, sparklers, and firecrackers to play with. All around them are explosions and fire. It’s shocking to me to see so much danger so close to such young children. But this is what they do. No one gives it a second thought. In fact, most people were laughing at my “wimpy” reactions.
The fun is not over yet. In fact, as I compose this post, I can hear fireworks outside. It will be like this for many days to come.
Midnight Finale
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Hi, I'm Jimmie, and this is my online collage -- a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but mostly homeschooling with a loosely Charlotte Mason style. You're welcome to poke around and leave a comment if you desire. 
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
How cool! Thank you so much for this post. I wondered what it was like. Tell us more!
-Phyllis
Happy Year of the Tiger to you! I know what you mean about all that noise and danger. During Ramadan our street is filling with young children lighting dangerous crackers – the more noise the better. The fireworks you see are at least pretty!
.-= D´s last blog ..What does ‘Christian’ really mean? =-.
Wow!! What a post! Celebrating the Year of the Tiger with a wild cat dish….lol.
Irony??
Glad you explained about the change of the years, my dd and I were discussing that after we read your other New Year’s post… she was curious if 2010 didn’t start there until after “Chinese New Year”.
Thanks for clarifying that for us.
Looks like quite the fête.
Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful and exhausting, too – lasting for days!
At midnight Jan. 1 here in Germany every front/back yard in the village exploded into their own fireworks’ display. It lasted longer than a half an hour with a few still continuing long after. My family was asleep but as I looked out the window up and down our street at the engulfing smoke and overhead-bursting flames that seemed to go on and on, I had to laugh out-loud. It was as if the German government alloted each family a New Year’s firework stipend in lieu of a city wide demonstration such as we are used to in the states.
It’s the closest I have ever come to a medieval castle siege! Fun, loud, scary, and unnerving but somehow glorious and compelling.
I always use children playing with matches as an example of cultural differences. I’ve seen four-year-olds outside playing with matches but carefully squatting so that their clothes won’t get dirty. That would get them in big trouble! And yes, mine would be the dirty children who have never laid a finger on a match.
.-= Lee´s last blog ..New Reviews =-.
the dinner looks fantastic. I love the firecrackers look nice, from afar.
Happy 2nd New Years
.-= DebD´s last blog ..A Few Days in Pictures… =-.
Your pictures are great! I know my son would love all those explosions.
.-= sarah in the woods´s last blog ..Rainbows Everywhere =-.
I have another friend in China who was complaining about the fireworks on Facebook tonight. She was thankful that at least her children were able to sleep through them.
You are very brave, Jimmie. I would not eat cat meat, although my dad actually has. He said a taco place he used to eat at was shut down when the healh inspectors found the freezer was full of cats-best tacos in town! I’ll settle for less than the best. He also ate dog meat once in Vietnam.
My husband has a cousin in Kazakstan who is often served horse meat. She says it tastes pretty good too.
I’ve eaten octopus, squid, raw fish, and bear. That’s about as brave as I get.
.-= Melissa Telling´s last blog ..Count Down To Christmas Paper Chain =-.
We are in Hong Kong right now and today is the first day we have heard firecrackers! It’s the second day of New Year’s and tonight will be the big display at the Harbor. I thought we’d see something on New Year’s Eve but we didn’t! I can’t wait until tonight!
Mmmm… that cat does look tasty!
A fifth of a stick of dynamite. I cannot comprehend that. We shoot off fireworks at our house a couple times a year and I still cringe when my boys are allowed to light them. They seem to wait too long to toss them or not toss them far enough away! Ack. Gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it.
Happy New Year, Jimmie! Enjoy the celebration!
.-= Marsha´s last blog ..Serenade at a price =-.
oh my. that sounds truly amazing. reminds me of our first year in Peru – we were terrified. there was no safe place anywhere. the fireworks would shoot into the house where we were staying through the opening between wall and roof. maybe we’re getting used to it now? but the fireworks definitely seem bigger where you are! my kids lit their first firecrackers this year while I envisioned burnt/or missing fingers and melted eyeballs… (okay so I’m ever so slightly paranoid) still, it IS really dangerous. your pictures are AWESOME!
thanks for sharing! I keep thinking about entering in your contest, I’ll have to take look it up again though because I lost the link I’d saved in my toolbar…
.-= Amy in Peru´s last blog ..A Day on Venus – an assignment =-.
Hi Jimmie,
Happy Year of the Tiger! We are working on our blog post and have been busy with crafts and such, so we’ll have it up later this week. Anna Rose even learned a Chinese song on piano that I hope to be able to load up with my fumbling computer skills.
I would be more of a wimp about eating cat meat than I would about the fireworks. Does it insult the hostess if you are not interested in trying one of the dishes?
.-= Emily Darling´s last blog ..I Am Loved =-.
Happy New Year! We love CNY and have celebrated it with gusto (bubble wrap instead of fireworks though) every year EXCEPT this one! So sad. We were snowed in and other things came up. Before we knew it, the 14th had come and gone.
Thank you for posting your photos so we could enjoy your celebration!
I’m with Emily Darling…I would survive the fireworks. The cat meat on the other hand….
.-= Tracy´s last blog ..Rocket Phonics Update =-.
I was just talking to someone who lives in Malaysia and they were also telling me all about the many many many fireworks. Living in Hong Kong, I was actually very disappointed with the whole celebration. Fireworks are strictly illegal (and it is actually very enforced), so none are heard other than the show in the city one night. But I do remember all the firewords when we lived in Shanghai, so I can imagine you are glad it is all almost over.
.-= Cristal´s last blog ..x-games =-.