Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2018

Happy New Year. Here it is.  The first day of 2018.  Where did 2017 go?  I used to say, that the older one gets, the faster time goes, but I am reliably informed that even young people feel the pace of life in a way that they too are somewhat uncomfortable about.

Last night I remained alone at home – happy, though, as the idea of travelling/walking with hoards of people just to see fireworks, or drink alcohol did not appeal.  I remained at home watching television and partaking of two glasses of bubbles and was in bed by 10 pm.

At one point, I could hear fireworks – not official ones though – someone who illegally had some no doubt.

Australian Tradition for New Year Celebrations.

What is the Australian tradition for New Year Celebrations?  It seems the focus is on fireworks and drinking alcohol.  Is there anything else?  Oh, yes, some like to write New Year Resolutions.  I doubt many keep them, but it is a good plan to reflect on the past year and make some decisions about the new year.

I rather like the Chinese New Year celebrations – they go on for quite a few days, with a lot of traditional activities.

Chinese Traditions

Fireworks – they certainly do a lot of fireworks, but it is not just about the beauty of them, it is about using the loud noises to frighten away the bad past – kill off anything evil.  Also, the person to light the first fireworks after midnight is also said to receive much good luck.

Displays

I remember going to a wonderful display of  lights in Yiwu in China, where the streets were filled with families exploring the wonderful displays.  There are many such events in China.

Cast out the Old, and Renew

In  China, it is a time to cast out old clothes or things you no longer want.  Buying new clothes is a very good thing to do at this time of year.  We, of course, have Boxing Day Sales, but I wonder if we could not make better use of the time to clear out unwanted stuff as well?

Family Meals

This is certainly something we could do it Australia – is make a habit of getting family together for a meal – lunch or dinner.  The Chinese certainly do this well.  Day after day there are lunches in the family homes.  Every day for a week you can enjoy being with family and friends this way.  Of course in Australia we make a big deal of Christmas lunch/dinner, but we could extend and have better relationships with family at more events.

Oh, well.

Happy New Year 1

The Monkey King in Cixi, China.

 



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About Di Hill

My business card says "Writer, Traveller, Camera Addict, Bamboo Fan, Workshop Presenter." This website will focus on my writing - and the workshops I present. Workshops on Blogging, Marketing for Writers, and Life Story Writing.
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