Today is Lantern Festival, the 15th day of New Year, and the end of the big celebration.  We have heard fireworks every morning and every evening for all these days, but apparently, these were just the precursor to tonight’s grand finale.  It does sound like war.  We are not hearing a few children with a few fire crackers. Nor are we hearing a town’s controlled and limited show, such as we have in USA.  We are hearing serious, continual explosives, and seeing the lights in the sky, and smelling that burning smell.  For me, it’s unnerving.

I heard on Beijing CCTV News, that people do this to scare away evil spirits.  If this is truly the case, there must be a powerful fear of these spirits. When I speak with young people such as our students, I hear that they don’t know anything about this aspect.  They just enjoy the festive lights.  A few young women have admitted to not liking fireworks, but that so goes against the tradition that they would not admit it to their peers.

I also heard that Beijing is considering a ban on fireworks, because people are realizing there are some safety issues.  The prevailing view among those interviewed, though, was that they like the fireworks, and you can’t ban a tradition so long standing as this one.

Chinese people set off fireworks when a new baby is born, when someone dies and for the funeral rites, when a new business opens, when a new building is opened, when people get married, when there is a birthday party, start of something, end of something, any celebration—any time is a good time for fireworks.

I carry with me, though, the memory of my dad, a decorated veteran of WWII, lying on a blanket in the park with us, his five little kids, during Fourth of July celebrations.  He told me he didn’t enjoy fireworks—-they were too much like the real thing.