The Year of the Pig

Chinese New Year is upon us once again here in Tianjin and this year we are welcoming the year of the pig. Now sometimes the western calendars will call this the year of the boar which has quite a tough and almost vicious connotation. Have no fear the piggies in real life could never be thought of as a "boar". They are chubby little pink cute piglets. Here is the newly released New Year Stamp with the lovely pig and her five piglets.







Pig socks anyone?














buy shoes and pig signs at the same time
Cutesy pig signs covered in gold coins are on storefronts everywhere and available from table vendors on the street along with the myriad of pig paraphernalia, fireworks, firecrackers, good luck "fu" signs and paper cuts.


When I hear "Chinese New Year" a couple of things come to mind. First of all firecrackers and fireworks. There IS a difference. Fireworks are the big ones that we in America are used to on the 4th of July. They make a loud noise but the pretty show afterwards is worth it. Firecrackers, on the other hand are long strings of little pops that usually all together make for very LOUD pops that all together make a LOT of noise. In addition every car alarm is set off in the complex resulting in annoying beeps that last longer than the firecrackers themselves. Firecrackers ONLY make noise and thus in my mind serve no real function except to annoy me. The problem is that I am in the minority in this country and that most of the male population really enjoy this type of celebration. Oh there goes another strand now.

Originally, the firecrackers and fireworks were set off to scare away the evil spirits at the new year. Many people are still superstitious in this city and I have a feeling that they would dare NOT set off a sufficient string of firecrackers for fear of what might happen to them. The fireworks begin intermittently a few days and weeks before but the actual New Year's Eve there is a constant popping echoing in the apartment complexes starting by at least noon and only escalates throughout the evening till it's almost impossible to carry on a conversation in one's apartment.



Street vendor
The second thing I think about when I hear about Chinese New Year is Jiao zi. This is the food of choice. The American "turkey" on Thanksgiving for the Chinese. Jiao zi is started by making a filling of whatever you want, my favorite celery and pork chopped up together very fine. Then a dough of flour and water is made and rolled into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. The dollop of filling is placed in the "pancake" and then folded over and sealed. The jiao zi are then boiled and served with vinegar. I don't have any pictures but if I make them over the next week or so I will share.
The other really big thing here for the Chinese is the TV show that is broadcast on New Year's Eve. Almost everyone in the country watches this show which is a contest of various talents - everything from minority songs and dances to comedy routines and Chinese acrobats. After the show, the entire country votes by text which act was the best.
This year is the first year since moving here that I will not be in the country for the New Year's Eve. I am leaving tomorrow for a week trip to Singapore and Thailand and will arrive back in the country on the 18th.
Chun Jie Kaui le! (Happy New Year)