Lunar New Year

The lunar New Year starts on Sunday Feb 14th. The people here really get into this celebration. It lasts about a week or longer and during this time the stores close and thousands of people go back to the their home provinces. In the main part of town streets have been blocked off for a over a week while they put up all sorts of beautiful lights, fountains and flowers and other decorations. We went to a new mall last Sunday evening and ran into a big traffic jam as a large dragon was being walked down the street with drums being beaten and as we found out later a competition was being held. Gift giving and visiting people is very big during the New Year celebration. I have already received some special rice cakes and our friend Sam brought me a beautiful plant with gorgeous yellow flowers. Next week we will be joing our friends to make some visits and bring some gifts to people. Even now as I sit here and write this I can hear the drums beating and I am sure if I could out into the street it would be another group passing by with their costumes on and their dragon in tow !!