billable

Editor-in-Chief: Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman Lunar New Year starts with a loud bang in China BEIJING: Lunar New Year started with a bang on Sunday as China’s 1.3 billion population ushered in the Year of the Pig with food, drink and massive firework displays.

Huge explosions rocked Beijing overnight as residents set off a record number of firecrackers to scare away angry ghosts and welcome good fortune for the New Year. Hospitals are expecting a baby boom in the year of the pig, considered one of the most auspicious in the Chinese zodiac.

For Chinese people looking forward to a week off work, New Year’s Eve on Saturday focused on family gatherings, temple visits and extravagant firework displays which continued into New Year’s day.

The previous week saw what has been described as the world’s biggest human migration, as hundreds of millions of Chinese jostled in trains, planes, buses and boats to make it home for the festivities.

Excluded from the celebrations, however, were workers building venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, who were ordered to work through the holiday week, media reports said.

For most other Chinese celebrations began on Saturday with isolated fireworks cracking throughout the day, building into a massive climax of sound and light from neighbourhoods across the city that kept the 15 million population awake into the early hours.

The Chinese, who invented gunpowder, traditionally set off fireworks to scare away evil spirits that bring bad luck. Two years ago, the Chinese capital lifted a 12-year ban on firecrackers that had been imposed for safety reasons.

The vice director of Beijing’s Public Security Bureau said more fireworks were set off than last year. “This year more fireworks were sold and they were set off for longer than last year,” Yu Hongyuan told state media.

All police leave was cancelled as the city government mounted a tight security operation involving more than 400,000 officials, according to reports, including fire departments, neighbourhood watch teams and internal security personnel.

Neon Beach

Did that already, what else ya got for today?

billable

You already celebrated the year of the pig? Where was I?

Neon Beach

You told me last night not to tell anyone that!!!!!!!!!

James Johnston

Happy New Year...........Thought someone had just sobered up!!! What the heck, one of my renters still has the reef on the door and all the lights up.............I don`t know if he is late or early???:lol:

billable

hey Jimmy. It's the year of the pig. I know that you know about partying southern style. Year of the pig means keeping the fire pit hot and the pig cooking...

Neon Beach

Wreath? Yah, they are year round deals here too.

James Johnston

Thats what is wrong with my heart, too much partying southern style when I was younger. I have my parties online now! Like all old men, back when I was young, blah, blah bla.........hehe.

billable

Got to drink the beer to keep the pork from clogging up the arteries.

James Johnston

Pork taste good, Dr. won`t let me eat anything that taste good. But, I am still glad this is the year of the pig. Just to get us back on topic, do they have wild pigs in Canada Neon?