The Golden Pig is Upon Us

The Golden Pig is upon us; sow or boar, it would take a veterinarian to say. As has no doubt saturated every major news outlet eager for crowd-pleasing fodder, this year represents prosperity for those who follow the Chinese zodiac.

As the lunar year--more sensible by far than our occidental Gregorian flailing--begins anew, celebration is underway in Korea and China, and in enclaves of expatriates around the world. The residents of Beijing (current home of your humble correspondent) are taking to the streets to try and outdo one another fireworks-wise.

A stroll two days ago through my normally sedate neighborhood gave the auditory impression of a war zone. Festivities on February 17, a.k.a. lunar New Year's eve, stretched from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Even today explosions can be heard reverberating down the city's massive Soviet-inspired avenues and flowers of colorful fire spied above nascent skyscrapers.

The small general store near my home stayed open, the proprietors being anxious to capitalize on the thirst of local revelers. It wasn't quite business as usual, however, with a massive celebratory spread visible just behind the counter.

Life is tough for many in Beijing, and there was a hint of scrappy defiance visible amongst those who had gone out of doors to take in the show. The fireworks are intended to scare off a host of New Year monsters, and in the faces of my neighbors I imagined I could see some of the steeliness that has allowed this country to shake off things like the Opium War through more than five millenniums of history. Throw in prehistory and it stretches to seven.

Chinese people, when possible, traditionally eat fish around this time of year. "有余" means "to have surplus," and has as a homonym "有鱼," which means "to have fish." When eating fish is not possible, one "quenches one's thirst by looking at plums," which in this case means looking at a picture or carving of a fish while eating the same food one would normally eat.

So I extend New Year's greetings to you all and hope you can manage to eat some real fish this year. Around here the holiday is called the Spring Festival, though it is still quite cold.

On another note, in true Janus fashion some subsequent posts will treat the past year's memorable travels, while future journeys will be recorded with astonishing promptitude. I swear.

In the meantime, enjoy the photo galleries.