CHINESE NEW YEAR 2014
A PHOTO ESSAY
We came to Singapore to do a little business and decided to make a mini holiday of it staying through the beginning of the Chinese New Year, a major national holiday. Singapore, the Lion City, is clean, efficient, vibrant and expensive (except for the wonderful hawker stalls and the 7-11’s). Even the air quality is remarkably unpolluted for an Asian city of almost five million. The skies are blue and the weather has been very pleasant.
Approaching the Festivities–Marina Bay Sands in the Background
The two primary celebration venues are Chinatown and the River HongBao, home of the biggest Chinese New Year Carnival in Singapore at The Floating Dock in Marina Bay (where Singapore holds its professional football/soccer matches at other times).
Dim Sum Anyone?
On the floating dock we found many wonderful food stalls featuring Chinese, Japanese and even some Thai favorites. Anna and I snacked on dim sum, chicken satay, pad Thai and lobster. And at SG$ 4.00 (USD 3.13) a bottle, the beer was the cheapest I have seen in town where a bottle of Singha or Tiger typically runs SG$ 12-15. Did I mention that things are expensive in Singapore?
The 15 days of Chinese New Year for 2014 welcomes in the year of the horse. According to Chinese Astrology, people born in the Year of the Horse are strong minded, energetic and very sociable. For other signs of the Chinese zodiac, the year of the wood horse will bring energy, but take care that this does not become negative and turn into conflict. It is also a good year for romance – great news if you are looking for love – but be prepared for surprises.
Some of the Chinese New Year traditions include decorating your house in red to bring good fortune, with bowls of mandarins to bring happiness. The best part, for me however, are the large beautifully made figures depicting ancient Chinese Gods and the various astrological animals (year of the snake, dragon, rat, et cetera). These creative designs are primarily made from colored screens over a framework and lit from within. What follows is serious eye candy.
From the Lion City, Anna and I wish you a year filled with good fortune, health, happiness, romance, joy and the company of good friends. We will be back in Thailand in two days. You can see more Chinese New Year photos here.
Thanks Philip for the eye candy! Beautiful photos of a new year celebration I would never have seen or known about without your sharing it. Glad you two are having such a great time. xoxo Judie
Thanks Judie. Cheers!
FABULOUS photos Phil!!! Looks like you’re having a lot of fun.
Are you still using your same camera? Those are seriously beautiful photos.
Keep it up! xoxo Sis
Thanks Mindy. Yes, still using the Olympus E3. Sometimes I think about investing in something lighter but it would be hard to match the quality.
Will you be back in Krabi? We are in Ayuthaya right now! Fabulous pictures, as always.
Yes Bob and Vivian, heading back to Krabi tomorrow. I enjoyed Ayuthaya. Are you heading south? Let me know your plans.
Stunning photos, it give us a good taste of what it is like there – you can feel the energy. Glad you can share your adventures with somebody – somebody you love.
Thanks Frank. The area pulses with energy.
Always great to have the opportunity to extend a business trip into a personal vacation. Looks like a fun experience.
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It was fun and the timing worked really well, but this city is oh so expensive. Back to Thailand in a couple hours where I can live a week for the cost of a room service breakfast here.