Lantern Festival

Walking around the area that I live in, I pass lots of little enterprises that are taking place on people’s doorstop.  On my way to school I pass a lady who fixes shoes, someone making breakfast on the back of their motorbike, someone selling gold fish and tortoises on the side of the street... I’m hoping these are for pets rather than food as I have seen tortoises and crocodile in the food section of the supermarket!

One of the restaurants near me does a barbeque at night.  You sit on little stools by a table on the pavement and they make beef or pork skewers and BBQ fish.  It’s delicious.  I’ve also seen chicken feet but I’ve passed on that.

I get around either by walking, using the bus or riding my bike.  I thought there’d be hundreds of bikes here but most people either use a moped or an electric bike (ie operated by a battery).  It’s pretty manic on the road (and pavement) as they just go anywhere and in any direction and ignore all traffic rules that I might be familiar with.  I thought driving in Honduras was bad but this is something else!

When I arrived here it was during the ‘Spring Festival’ time (Chinese new year).  The last day of this is known as the Lantern Festival.  This is during the period of the new moon and represents the start of the new year.  The story is that during the Han Dynasty (2000 years ago), the Jade Emperor in the Heavens was angry at a town because they killed his favourite goose.  To punish them he decided he’d destroy it in a rage of fire.  However, a good fairy warned the town and told them to light lanterns on the appointed day.  From the heavens it looked like the town was on fire so the emperor thought it was his goose had been avenged and didn’t do anything.  Since then, the people remember this day by lighting lanterns.