The Chinese new year (阴历的新年) arrives in approximately 2 hours and all around China one can expect to see the character for good luck "福" (fu2, as in the first picture), either upright or upside down. When rotated, it is said to resemble "到" (dao4, meaning "arrived".) Thus, it is a time to "receive good luck". Common practice is to visit all relatives over the next 15 days (until lantern festival, the official end of spring festival) and wish each of them good luck. As is common in Chinese culture, the wish is never as simple as one sentence. Usually it involves multiple (easily 5 or more) wishes of good luck, happiness, success, riches, contentment, fortune, joy, peace, etc. Logically, with so many people wishing one recipient good luck, it's almost likely to come true!
While there are good thoughts being sent all around China (usually in the form of text messages―something for which the Chinese cell phone companies must be incredibly thankful), there's also a perpetual thunder. As it's my first year in a city for Chinese New Year, I've enjoyed/feared the constant drone of fireworks. While jogging this afternoon, the firecrackers sounded like gunshots; being the ONLY person on the street I increased my pace home. (Call it a gut reaction.) While walking to the grocery store, I was startled by the large fireworks across the road; this time I could enjoy, and not run from, the bright spectacle.
Now, as I watch the Chinese equivalent of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" (yet, here it's a 4-hour program of diverse acts from China's biggest celebrities) I enjoy the comedy, sights, and sounds from the television with a constant rumble, not unlike a city bombing, in the background.
In reality, I am thankful. For all these people lighting fireworks, they benefit me by scaring off the human-eating "year" monster. This is the origin of lighting fireworks and decorating with red. Every year a monster by the name of 年 (nian2), awakes and pillages villages, destroying homes and eating humans. This monster arrives only once a year, and thus the character for his name actually is the current word used for "year." Further, one year an old man discovered that this monster despises the color red and is scared by the booming sound of fireworks/firecrackers. Thus, at this time today, each home is adorned with red decorations, citizens wear red clothing, and each family celebrates the new year by setting off fireworks. Chinese population density is so high that there's enough booming going on to scare anything away without me needing to do anything!
With that, I return to the television performance and prepare for a midnight excursion to marvel in the barrage of 12:00 a.m. fireworks. Happy new year, everyone! 祝你们新年快乐，万事如意，恭喜发财，每天快乐，越来越开心，笑口常开，工作顺利，事业有成。。。
Later Days,
Rick
If interested, this performance is available here: http://www.iqiyi.com/zongyi/2012cctvzb.html (only 1/3 of the acts need Chinese; the rest are enjoyable without language comprehension.)
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