birdofpassage: 01.22.2012 Chinese New Year at FGS Berlin

main shrine

Chinese new year is the next best thing second to Christmas. Or is it better than Christmas?

A friend of mine warned me not to have high expectations for Chinese new year in the Berlin temple. It was not going to be as exciting as it is back home in Toronto. I knew that of course, the Chinese community here is palm sized, but it's hard to accept the idea with all the time spent decorating. I would have liked to be pleasantly surprised otherwise.

I spent the day at the temple helping out with last minute preparations until the evening, when the real fun begins. It wasn't too too busy so I went about documenting everything.

what is a new year without dumplings?

There's food and little snacks like vegetable buns and radish cake made fresh and for sale.

People buying pussy willows for the new year. It's silky buds and green leaves represent a budding prosperity

It's almost midnight and the crowds are thickening. People are trying to buy their candles and light them so they can place them on the altar before the night starts. There was, at most, two hundred people bustling about in the evening. An impressive number for the temple, but when I talked to my mother back in Toronto, she laughed at me and said, "Two hundred? We had two thousand!"

1. People like to stand in doorways. 2. Incense comes in packs of 9 sticks for each person

Chinese new year was sentimental. Amidst the activity, I realized there really was no where better to celebrate Chinese new year than in my home-base temple with family and friends. There is no other place like it. Nevertheless, being here was much better than skipping out and staying home. The crowds thinned out by 12:30am, and my friends from around the world sent me pictures of their new year celebrations throughout the night. I love being connected! It was nice sharing the evening that way --it's like being pseudo there.