It's 07:00 on the morning of New Year's Eve where I sit writing this, but as it's 21:00 in the Land of Smiles I'm sure the party is in full swing throughout the country. Somewhere around 66 million people are awaiting what some of my friends there call "the countdown" that will signal the beginning of the year 2011 - or 2554 by the Thai calendar. There will be much hooting and hollering as midnight approaches and fireworks begin lighting the sky above the crowds, bursting in colorful floral patterns and popping with those concussive blasts you can almost feel in your chest. Ground level fireworks will also bloom, but hopefully not in areas too crowded with holiday revelers.
In Mexico there are common fireworks known as buscapies that I had the fun of playing around with years ago; small cylindrical items most of us would recognize as a bottle rocket or very small skyrocket without the usual launching stick to help guide them on they way skyward. There they're ignited and dropped to the ground where they shoot sparks (and sometimes whistle) as they rocket their way randomly around amidst folk, skittering around amidst people's feet. In fact, buscapie translates to "it looks for feet" - and most anywhere they're used there's shouting and laughter and third degree burns.
Wherever you are and whoever you're with on this final day of 2010/2553 I hope you can pause to reflect back on the year drawing to a close, and that when you do you're able to say to yourself "it's been a great year"! If you can't say that this year be comforted that Life usually gives us a "do over" and make next year a better one. It truly is - as they say there - "up to yooouuu"!
Happy New Year, everyone!
[The images today were found on the internet]
1 comment:
Best wishes to Khun Bao Bao for 2010/2554. May health and happiness attend you always. I don't know how you manage to make your almost daily posts (don't you suffer writer's block or something like that?), but here's to keeping it up through the year!
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