Red, red everywhere!

First it was the Mid-Autumn Festival bunnies, then it was the Christmas Santas/Reindeer, and now it’s the Lunar New Year tigers…



Of course, since Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday in China, cities are going all-out for decoration, and Macau is no exception. Some “tableaus” in various public places:

Tap Seac Square

Old Taipa Village

Around the edge of Sintra Square

Border Gate

Main Post Office

As usual, the most elegant decorations are in Leal Senado, the former government building, and some of the most elaborate are in Senado Square right across the street. You can see some photos of the construction in-progress in an earlier post, but here are shots of the completed projects:




Below is a short video I took while walking around the Senado fountain...the moving tableaux kinda remind me of the figures from the Disney World ride "It's a Small World After All" for some reason =P

Inside Leal Senado

Leal Senado inner courtyard

Looking up from the courtyard

Pretty lanterns/orchids on the steps

Another big event is the fair in Tap Seac Square, where there are lots of festive objects and flowers. To be honest, I found the items rather bizarre, ranging from inflatable hammers to animal-themed headgear and giant models of chocolates.

There's also a giant gold wire lotus(?) in the middle

None of these seem particularly LNY-related...

Now if these were only real chocolate =P

Real LNY-related goods: kumquat/orange trees and flowers

Some kids showing off their new toys

Every grocery shop and stationary store also has umpteen varieties of decorations for sale: traditional Chinese knotting pieces, packs of red envelopes, calligraphy scrolls, and some more…fashionable items?


Of course, the downside of Lunar New Year is that almost everything shuts down for 3-4 days, starting today with Lunar New Year Eve. According to the UM students, most of the restaurants also close, and those that are open charge much higher prices than usual because they have to pay their workers triple for holiday overtime. Thus, I made sure to stock up on groceries today so I have enough to last me until Tues, when I leave for a five-day trip through Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou =D

In conclusion, 新 年 快 樂!