Preparations are in full swing everywhere. Their equivalent of our Christmas tree is a peach or mandarin tree, covered in fruits, which they take home and decorate. We have seen some hilarious sights with giant trees in pots, or even two, being carried through thick traffic on the back of motorbikes. There are brightly coloured decorations on sale, some of which are designed to be burned, together with artificial banknotes, as offerings to the Buddha. We’ve seen these little burning ceremonies in some unlikely places – outside shops, by the river, even yesterday on a small boat. No Health and Safety concerns here! Incense sticks are burning everywhere too, sometimes even overpowering the motorbike fumes.
It’s the Year of the Cat here, but not as much seems to be made of the animal as for Chinese New Year. The Year of the Rabbit celebrations will be in full swing when we get back to Singapore later next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment