The Chinese New
Year starting 23 Jan 2012 till 9 Feb 2013 is the Year of the Dragon. This
is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac (12 year cycle). And many couples across Asia are making an extra effort to give birth to lucky "dragon babies".
I got from my colleague
that its celebrated in Paris, and I took my camera and got ready to go the East
end of Paris. (I live in the West end). I quickly googled
and got the itinerary below…
Sunday, January 29
1:00pm Dragon
Parade starts at 44, avenue d'Ivry, going through avenue de Choisy, Place
d'Italie, avenue d'Italie, rue de Tolbiac, avenue de Choisy, boulevard Masséna
and returns to avenue d'Ivry.
It was -4 degree centigrade today, and the celebrations were on street. I had to convince myself that the celebration will be worth the effort. So I bribed myself with the idea of having an authentic Chinese lunch. Well now the venture seems worth the effort…
It was -4 degree centigrade today, and the celebrations were on street. I had to convince myself that the celebration will be worth the effort. So I bribed myself with the idea of having an authentic Chinese lunch. Well now the venture seems worth the effort…
I reached the Metro station Porte d’Ivry just on time and
on coming out, I had to just follow the crowd toward the parade. There were
cute Chinese kids with balloons. The roads, buildings were decorated well, and
for a minute I felt I am in China.
There were elaborate parades, with the dragon, chinese drums beating, incense sticks, bright costumes, and spectators with families and kids.
There were elaborate parades, with the dragon, chinese drums beating, incense sticks, bright costumes, and spectators with families and kids.
This was a colorful expression of joy and hope for the new year. It was interesting to see many non-chinese also participating whole heartedly. What touched me was
- how well the Chinese have preserved their traditions in a foreign country
- and how well the Chinese enjoyed the cultural freedom in France
The parade and processions went for more than two hours. My hands were numb in cold clicking photos and videos. And then I realized I was hungry... ( authentic Chinese lunch :-) )
I saw couple of Chinese restaurants but the queue had already built up and it was trailing for 100-200 metres outside the restaurants. So I had to contend with a French Chicken sandwitch and double shot Espresso in China town... :-)
It was time to wind-up and I started walking back...
On the roadside, I noticed Chinese artists painting names of people in extravagant colorful patterns. I thought of getting this souvenir back. And it was clear that my sons name will be the best gift to me and my wife.
The artist indicated me to write the name in a piece of paper. I wrote my sons name AYAAN. And in less than 10 mins, with her dexterous hands(in frigid cold), she did the magic with her painting and calligraphy skills, and produced the colorful and amazing picture below. See how AYAAN is written(click on the picture to get a bigger image) using
A - image of bamboo shoots and panda (symbolic of China)
Y - an orange bird
A - Eiffel tower(well ! symbol of Paris)
A - Two fishes in love
N - The year of the Dragon !
Mahtab SYED
Paris 04 Feb 2012
3 comments:
good One ..its a nice place
Syed!!
Awesome account of your settling in paris man. your writing makes it feel like watching a documentary. Very lucid. I am super excited to hear about your adventures in Paris. Visited there a couple of times and it is a beautiful city. Your horizons seems to have expanded many folds over the years, kudos to you. Lovely that you get to experience this with your wife and Ayaan.
It has been quite a journey for you from Journal square to Paris, my friend! Can't be happier. Good luck and keep writing whenever you can. Great to read. Take care.
Thanks Senthil,
It's a late realization that I enjoy
- travelling
- understanding the nuances of a different culture
- and understanding how the local socio-economic factors work
And if I can get it free along with a daily IT Manager's work its more than welcome.
And I am sure my son will cherish this when he grows up !
:)
Mahtab SYED
Post a Comment