all over but for the shouting

Life is starting to return to normal after the New Year's holidays.

Chinese New Year is often described as the Chinese equivalent to Christmas. While Chinese New Year is THE main holiday for the residents of Hong Kong, the Christmas analogy is a bit misleading. There are so many public manifestations of Christmas in America: malls are packed with shoppers, concerts and church services filled with special seasonal music, schools and offices with parties, charities and food banks out in force. Contrast this with Hong Kong. The crowds at bakeries before New Year are nothing like the mobs of Christmas shoppers looking for a US$30 DVD player. There is no such thing as a Chinese New Year carol. Except for the parade and fireworks -- sponsored by the TOURIST BUREAU, btw -- there are few public celebrations of the New Year.

Rather, Chinese New Year is more like Thanksgiving. It's a time to spend time with relatives and close friends. Special dinners are prepared. Instead of watching football on TV, people might play mah-johng and socialize. Or they could bet on the special New Years horse race. (Over HK$1 billion, or US$130 million, was spent on betting for that race!) The spirit of New Years is convivial: it's very bad luck during the New Years season to quarrel, for instance. So I spent a calm, enjoyable New Years week with my relatives. And the day after the New Years festivities, my grandfather returned to his regular shouting...