The fireworks have been insane. The Chinese set off firecrackers and fireworks anytime, anywhere, anyhow. I understand that there're certain main roads and highways where people aren't allowed to do so, but the streets and alleys are ripe for picking.
Ear plugs. Totally necessary. The fireworks reached a fevered pitch on the night of the fourth day of the lunar new year and all of the next day. It's even more heated than those to signal the start of the year of the Dragon. Every friggin' corner, rooftop had blasts and light reverberating through the city. We were super glad to be indoors and not standing amidst the rain of debris and smoke which sent Shanghai's air pollution index soaring. The friends said that Beijing would be five times worse. Right, and Beijing's air quality is already worse than Shanghai's on a good day. They've got a permanent haze shrouding the city.
At 11.45pm on the fourth night (初四), as we moved into the fifth day (初五), the city went nuts. Fireworks were let off from the streets, from rooftops and out of balconies and window sills. It was mad. The horizon on both sides was lit up from end to end with flare, light and a red glow. The continuous blasts were so loud that we abandoned the music and television to look at just how crazy the fireworks were. It's their first time spending the festive season in Shanghai too. Other years, they simply went off for a vacation.
Clearly, neither of us knew why the fireworks were so major tonight. I only had a vague impression that the Chinese 'prayed' to different gods on different days of the fifteen days of the lunar new year. Fireworks this major, had to be the God of Fortune. So we googled. Ahhhh. We were kinda right! The fifth day is when the southerners, i.e. Shanghai, 'send away poverty' (送穷), welcome and pay tribute to the Fortune God (祭财神，接财神). There we go. Fortune God. Need I say more?
The fireworks, both legal and illegal, shot up to a height of 20-something floors of many buildings. They really take the Fortune God seriously. There's been plenty of money going up in flames across the city this week. I'm not even thinking of how pretty these are. I've no love for fireworks. Mouths agape, we stared at the major fireworks going off, flanking a gas station. Win lor. Safety? What safety?
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