CNY

The Chinese New Year celebrations begin! This past weekend we joined hundreds upon hundreds of others at a local art museum for its annual samplings of all things Chinese - dragon dance, traditional music, games, crafts, calligraphy, food....

But before we headed out, we feasted on a large Chinese meal with cousin Titus and family. Oh we were stuffed, so it was good that we had to park several blocks away. The mild weather that day made for a pleasant dinner walk-off.

For the second year in a row, Zane wanted nothing to do with the dragon dance. He feels very strongly that it is too loud and scary. So we cuddled on the floor around the corner, waiting for Elle and Dada. "All done?", he kept asking. He cheered when the cymbal crashes concluded. :)



The excitement for the evening was the Chinese yo-yo demonstration. It's a football-sized toy consisting of two equally-sized, facing cones connected with a long axle and is kept spinning on a string tied to two sticks at the ends. Apparently, it's used as a children's toy and as a performance tool in juggling and sometimes in Chinese dance. The performers did a variety of tricks -- throwing the yo-yo up into the air and tossing it around their back, just to name a couple. Both Elle and Zane were in awe as they cheered on the students and master teacher. We were lucky not to get a yo-yo in the face as another front row guest experienced.


After that excitement, we especially enjoyed the traditional music, so beautiful. It wasn't until late that evening at home that I realized I hadn't taken in any of the museum. There was just so much activity and people everywhere...someday we'll have to go to just take in the art.

Year of the Rabbit