The Year of the Tiger

Last weekend was Chinese New Year. It was also Valentines day, but I thought celebrating Tigers was way cooler than celebrating hearts, so I went with New years.

New years is a multiday celebration. On the 13th, we went to Pii Maa's house to participate in one of the rituals. (Pii Maa is the iSep coordinator here). On the day before New Years an offering is given to the spirits before every meal. We were there for the days final offering which was for wandering spirits.
A buffet table was set outside, with many foods on it, each with a special meaning that i dont recall. The table had to be outside, and the gate to the house and yard open, so that the spirits could come in. A incense stick is then lit for each food, and when the stick burns out the spirits are done eating. Then comes my favorite part--We get to eat!

Pii Maa is a great cook. And according to Thai custom there was enough food that we could have each had an extra meal! (in thailand if you are financially able, when you host guests you should cook enough that the most gluttonous is not able to eat everything. If you are the guest of someone who is not as financially sound, you should not eat everything on your plate because then it shows that they served you more than enough food and they save face).

we learned that Pii Maa's culinary skills were no fluke, her family owns and runs a curry paste making factory (it was right by the house, we got to tour it). She also told us that they are the suppliers to the king. We also had eaten rice from the same company that supplies the Royal Family, so I ate like a king.

After the feast a Pii Maa's we were taken to a Thai market. This happened to be the same one that the Thai family had taken me and Jennifer to last month, so we felt pretty neat already knowing the layout and what yummy goodies to look for.

On the day of Chinese New Year me and Jennifer first headed out to the Dusit Zoo. It was a so-so zoo, but it does hold the worlds only known albino barking deer. It was geared towards families with children, it even had an area with kids rides. But it def wasnt up to the standards of any other zoos that ive been too.

After the zoo, we went to a very intresting and unusual shrine in bangkok. The majority of the offerings were craved penises. The nicer ones, some carved of stone, were standing around the shrine, and all the rest were lined up against a fence. It was very much a sight that i wouldnt expect to see anywhere but southeast Asia.

After the penis shrine it was time to head to chinatown. The hamlet was awash in Red and gold, the traditional celebratory colors. lanterns were strung across the streets, and traffic was blocked off. The streets were packed incredibly tightly, making walking very hard, but there was a feeling of festivity which made it okay. There were street vendors everywhere, set up on the sidewalks, and in the middle of the road. Shirts, Toys, paper Dragons, and food galore! We would have to duck down side streets when we bought food, because there really was no place to sit down to eat it.
When we emerged from a side street back into the main street, we found many people sitting on each side of it, with what looked like space for a parade in the middle. We sat down, and a nice drink vendor handed us a piece of cardboard to sit on. Eventually we found someone who spoke English who told us that the princess was coming through.
We sat there for awhile, but eventually we were rewarded by her walking hurridly by, waving and surrounded by security. She didnt look all that regal, but it was obvious that everyone loved her. Unforutnatly haveing her around really cramped the places style, it brought what was already slow going traffic to a grinding halt. So we turned around and walked the other way. We passed a lion dance procession, which was really neat, and made me feel like it really was chinese new year. We then came across the stage, where there was a Thai pop star singing. I dont know what his name was, but i recognized one of the songs from the radio, which was pretty cool. I cheered along with the crowd and pretended taht i knew what was going on.