Festival of Lanterns

Even though it's summer here in the southern hemisphere, there is a chill to the air that makes the tip of my nose go numb. The wind is far beyond that of a light breeze, but not quite strong enough to actually be considered wind. The days here are beginning to grow shorter with the nights arriving earlier and earlier. It is nearly 8:30 on a Sunday night and we are out the door, bundled up just enough to be comfortable and on our way into the central city of Christchurch.



The city is bustling with people, which may seem strange for a Sunday night, and parking spaces are scarce. Forced to park a couple of blocks from center city near the art center, we walk beneath artificial lights of the street lamps. The sound of music starts to drift over us as we move closer to Victoria Terrace. Normally a park covered with gardens and fountains, smack in the middle of the city, tonight we see, as we round the corner, that it is bathed in lights from some of the most colorful and extravagant lanterns I have ever seen.



It is Chinese New Year and we have entered the year of the dog. There is a very large number of Chinese living in New Zealand, a combination of people who are first generation Chinese and who are the children and grandchildren of other Chinese who moved here years ago. And while I've encountered people of all nationalities and ethnicities while here, I really have taken little notice. People are people, right? But being here and seeing even this New Zealand version of the Chinese New Year celebration has made me curious about their culture.




So as we walk along the park, two people amongst a sea of ethnicities, I feel like a child at Disney World. Pointing out with enthusiasm each newly discovered lantern, the soft glow within, beaming color throughout the dark night. Along with the beautiful creations that dangle above us, there are lanterns made to float along the water in the shape of lillies and fish as well as scenes on the riverbank and throughout the park's grassy grounds. Accompanying the lantern displays is a main stage in which a number of traditional chinese dances are being performed, including the well-known Dance of the Dragon.



After witnessing first hand the manner in which the Dance of the Dragon is performed, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the men and women performing it. If one looks hard enough to see beyond the blacklight, to see the performers dressed in black holding up the neon-colored beast, one can see them jumping in and out, dancing around, doing everything short of backflips to make this creature come alive before our eyes. It was phenomenal.




So now I wonder, what it would be like to visit China. To see this culture first hand. After speaking with a number of people who have been there, I have found mixed reactions. Some have said that I will be disappointed because a lot of the culture that one would like to experience has been literally knocked over and destroyed to make room for skyscrapers, modern technological advances and all the rest of the sterotypes associated with their present-day lifestyles. Some tell me it would be possible to discover the more ancient ideals if I dig hard enough, if I visit the deepest of the back countries and avoid the cities. Even then I may find myself disappointed in what I will get.

All in all, who knows. It is good to hear advice from others, to see what they have thought about a place or an experience. But in reality, all I can do is wait to experience it myself before I begin to judge why things are no longer as they once were, why a culture doesn't completely embrace their heritage, etc etc. We cannot expect everyone to remain stagnant. To prevent themselves from progressing because the world wants to preserve their history. If that were the case, wealthy men would still be wearing powdered wigs in the US and woman gliding across the floor in dresses. But is it fair to a culture to completely disintegrate what it once was and almost forget where it came from? Again, I can't judge, I've not been there and I'm only going on the words of others. Armchair anthropology. Bad Nicole, Bad.

But forgetting all that, enjoy these photos taken at the NZ version of Chinese New Year. I hope they bring you as much happiness as attending the event did for me.









-Nicole