Two blog posts in 24hrs!!! Get in! So far this is like all good new year’s resolutions: starts great…then… well, lets see how often you all are going to the gym in a few weeks, shall we? Anyway… back to the matter at hand. Lantern festival! It’s a festival that takes place 15 days after Chinese New Year and… well, I’m sure Wikipedia can tell you the boring stuff. These days people just set off LOADS of fireworks. It’s like bonfire night (if you’re in the UK) or the 4th of July (if you’re in the states) combined with new years. After a few hours of Lantern Festival, you have a good idea what it must have been like in Baghdad, circa 2003…


Coming back to Weinan from spending Spring Festival in An’Kang, I found there was a photo exhibition in one of the squares.

Oh, look! Four of my photos! The photo club I’m in had printed out some of my photos for me, and put them on display as the first photos you can across when entering the square. Much appreciated!

People were especially fascinated by my “Weinan world” photo. It’s a photo of the city square, warped to look like a planet. I heard people talking about how I did it. The leading theory was I used a helicopter! I wish!

Here’s the original for those who haven’t seen it.

  
Left: Lucy – the girl in the photo, posing next to her photo! 🙂 Middle: The crowds examining the photos. Right: Ran into my God-daughter; Flora. Looking very warm in that suit!

So, in the day – Lantern Festival is a pretty normal day. But, at night. It’s fireworks time, baby!

Chinese people have 0 fear of fireworks. None. Zip. Nil. Nada. I guess they did invent gunpowder. You see kids of all ages throwing fireworks at each other too. Not actually seen any injuries… yet.

  
The little dots in the sky? Not fireworks. Not fireflies. Chinese wishing lanterns. Lots of ’em!

The people selling wishing lanterns made hella money that day.

Beryl really starting to get into photography. She handles the Canon 400D, I’m on the 5D2.

Again, regarding the disregard of firework safety; here a woman lets off fireworks, handheld, in the middle of the packed square.

  
Left: Beryl’s food. Middle: Some other food. I never eat this, but it’s super spicy. As you walk past, it’s like being pepper sprayed. Right: I told you the square was packed.

This guy wasn’t pointing at superman…

He was pointing out what happens when two wishing lanterns “kiss.”

Some street decoration.

🙂

This is the newly opened ‘Xin Da Walking Street’ – home of the new Aston.

What are they looking at?

MOAR FIREWORKS!!!

Me taking some pictures. With beer. Of course.

Ammo store.

Lastly, an “arty” photo taken by Beryl. This was her desktop wallpaper for a while. What is it? Dunno! 🙂 That’s why it’s “art” 😉

Just a few weeks until this year’s lantern festival. (That’s how far behind my blog is!) I’m looking forward to it 😀

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