Chinese New Year - Part 1

Monday 26th January saw the first day of the lunar new year - a celebration taken very seriously here. And it's been fascinating... (not just because I got three days off work this week!).
The first tradition I indulged in was braving the crowds at the Lunar New Year market in Victoria Park (in Causeway Bay, not far from Happy Valley). Basically, it has two different sections - a flower market (it is traditional to take flowers when you visit relatives for the big dinner on the Lunar New Year Eve) and then, well, I can only describe the rest as cheesy tat. There were all sorts of rubbish like you get at fairgrounds... most of it somehow linked to an Ox (2009 is year of the Ox). There were woolly hats in the shape of cows, cow horns, fake cartons of milk(!).... plus totally random stuff like slinkies, flashing sticks (like fake light sabres) etc etc etc... I guess it was kind of reassuring to know the east gets sucked into the tacky side of these celebrations as much as the west. I have to say the place was ABSOLUTELY heaving... sometimes, you just couldn't move anymore than a bit of feet shuffling and just go with the flow of the crowds.