Chinese New Year

 Sun Ninh Fai Loch 

Happy New Year to all of you! What a great time to be in Hong Kong. It is Sunday, day three of a five day celebration.

The lunar new year (Chinese new year) started here on Friday. The office closed down early so everyone could get home early for their family dinners. Actually the new year started Thursday when everyone is supposed to clean their homes (kind of a spring cleaning activity) which is then followed by family get togethers and visiting  through the weekend. Monday and Tuesday are also off to give everyone more time with families and friends. We wandered around town on Saturday to see what their biggest yearly holiday was like. Not a lot of people on the streets and many, many shops closed. Unusually quiet outside – almost eerie. 

 Saturday night was the big parade in Kowloon. Some pictures will follow. And tonight (Sunday night) was the big fireworlks show – 23 minutes straight of fireworks from three big barges in the middle of the harbor. We elected to stay home for this one. They figured over a million people would be on the promenades and buildings on both sides of the harbor to watch the fireworks. We watched the show on TV but opened our windows to hear the non-stop booming. Very impressive.

Many shops had new years displays like this one in their front windows. Lots of red and yellow.

Another shop set up a couple of weeks ago to sell new year's money envelopes and other assorted paraphernalia.

These little orange trees are everywhere. In the businesses, restaurants, offices, and people's homes. I couldn't resist grabbing this picture of this little girl posing in her new year's dress and purse.

Lots of people, especially children are walking around in brand new traditional clothing.

We loved these women's skirts.

We had not seen these skirts before, but many women were wearing them. Truly beautiful.

Saturday afternoon we went to Lee Tung Street to watch a dragon dance and see the lanterns.

We got ourselves a great table near the dragon and enjoyed a delicious lunch of butter chicken and nan bread.

This is the beginning of the dragon dance (in addition to the larger dragon on display).

This is the smaller dancing dragon that would spew candy out of it's mouth.

Mom under the lanterns..

Most of the shops were closed. This is a family shrine outside a shop with oranges offered to the family's ancestors. 

Some remaining cuts of meet....

Outside the only butcher shop open on this street.

Floating lanterns outside the Peninsula Hotel (actually held up with wires stretched between the wings). This was very arresting and beautiful at the same time.

Some of the little girls getting ready to dance in the evening's (Saturday night) big parade.

And some of the floats ready for the parade. On the right is the very long inflated dragon that was the finale of the parade. Will and Greg, this is the long dragon we were telling you about!

We opted to watch the parade on TV.

We were invited to lunch with the Lee family. Leah, on the right, is the mother of the two sisters Char teaches in young women's. He is a social worker and member of the stake presidency.These are two extraordinary people. They both work, are raising four kids in a tiny apartment (same size as ours), and are sweet, faithful, and fun people. They met at BYU Hawaii and got married after dating four years. Leah ia also the stake seminary teacher and was just released as the ward's Relief Society President. She is the one who visited Mom with sandwiches when I was in the hospital a month ago.

The two sister missionaries in our ward came to lunch with us. for this picture they wanted all of us to "hang loose".

As I mentioned earlier, we watched the fireworks on TV.

A cruise ship floated by earlier this morning.

This is Enoch who lives over the border in China. He works with Mom and was in our office this week meeting with her. He has been married a year to a member from China. They live in Shenzhen, mainland China, about an hour and a half train ride from work.

I'm going to close with this picture of Hilda. She has three kids and works just down the hall from us. She is one of the secretaries for the Asia Area Presidency. She is a delightful person who just loves the color pink. I had to share her with you. You will notice almost everything on her desk is pink including her keyboard and mouse. 

It is late and we are tired. Time for bed. WE LOVE AND MISS EVERYONE OF YOU SO MUCH. 

Mom and Dad