The procession. It was marvellous. I started out for Mrs. Chu's but then realised she hardly ever opens anymore. So I didn't go there, I went to Ally's shop, which is further down the hill and several doors down. There were some people there I knew, but not the ones I expected to see. A couple of those, I tried phoning but they had their phones turned off. Duh! So I took off from Ally's for a little island's answer to Times Square. The square was crowded, but not overly crowded. There was a breeze, which was wonderful.
Word picture: Passing through the square, the procession, with its series of 'floating children', interspersed with lion dancers, was received with rounds of applause by we who were there. At some point, the procession began to come into the square from two streets. That's when things really got glorious. For this onlooker, anyway. The sound of the horns and cymbals of the local Chui Chow band -- composed of old men in floppy straw hats and bright yellow T-shirts sponsored by a German beer company; a teenage, local cheerleader-style silver band playing When The Saints Go Marching In; a local squad of young women banging away on cymbals to a Chinese tune; and a 'floating lion' dance with young women and (muscular) men crashing and banging away on cymbals and drums. All that, all going at the same time. Loud, noisy, it was a beautiful cacophony. One of those unscripted moments that is truly greater than the parts. To top that, the floating lion above us let drop a long red scroll from his chin and then from his open mouth shot out a cloud of gaily-coloured shiny confetti. We cheered, we clapped.
Oh, yeah!
As I write this, there is a lion dance with attendant cymbals and drum banging away in the street below me.
Soon: off to the Beach Bar to meet those I missed.
Ciao!
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