Bangkok Chinese New Year
A long time ago . . . Photos and story by Michael Greenwald © Copyright 2020 all rights reserved In a land far away ...... a fierce dragon lived in the forest and Every year, he attacked the villages and ate every living thing, the birds, the fish, even the bugs. The dragon was immortal and could not be killed ...... and every year the villagers had to run away to avoid being eaten. Finally they decided to fight, but had no money for weapons. So, they decided to try and scare the monster away with deception, relying on his poor eyesight, frighten him with with larger, fiercer-looking dragons, made of paper . . . dragons that looked more terri- fying than the real dragon himself . . .deafen and scare the real dragon-with fire works . . . Apparently real dragon are afraid of explosions . . .petrify him, with lanterns looking like globs of spitting fire ...... terrify him with fierce-looking magic charms ...... surround him with mysterious amulets, dripping with blood . . . And, taking advantage of the dragon’s poor eyesignt-plague him with porcelain magicians, holding potions ...... protect their homes with fierce-looking door guards. Apparently real dragons lack depth perception and do not know these are paintings A fierce dancing dragon prances bye, for the delight of the children and adults alike. And so, they scared the dragon away but, he’ll be back! The Sheer Exuberance of life
Lighting candles for the dead-one of the many rituals of the new year Candles for the dead Lower Left: woman holds joss sticks, thrown down to predict the future Praying to Buddha, holding incense sticks, thought to create an air of tranquility. On the alter are wreathes of flowers you can buy, which are recirculated by the monks, or families often bring fruit or even home-cooked meals, as an offering to the Buddha. To give food to Buddha on earth means you will get that food in heaven.
Apple lighting incense before praying Yellow shirt symbolized loyalty to the king
More than 350,000 people jam the streets of Chintown at night during the 5-day festival
A small Chinese Buddhist shrine dedicate to the gods of harvest. Note flowers, leaf cuttings, orang- es, soy cakes (left center) and crosks o fruit pre- serves (center right) . There is scarcely a Thai dish that is not sold by a street vendor or at a market somewhere in Thailand. Some special- ize in only one or two dishes, others of- fer a complete menu that rivals that of restaurants. Some sell only pre-cooked foods, others make food to order.
Popular noodle dishes include pad Thai, rat na, flat noodles with beef, pork, or chicken and vegetables, topped with a light gravy; Without a doubt, one of the most popular dishes is Thai deep-fried chicken, breaded and fried at scorching temperatures in a huge wok.
Running a food cart is no way to get rich and most of the owners are quite poor, as are the majority of customers. Still, cart food is some of the best in Thailand, easily beating the fancy tourist restaurants in both quality and price.
Typical outdoor Thai restaurant in Chinatown, with many pre-cooked choices in small space. Luscious curried crab in yellow curry. Delicious Roasted pork short ribs in a rich sauce It is simply amazing how much delicious food is cooked over nothing more than a clay charcoal brazier Delicious, delux Pad Thai, with extra seafood
A typical pad Thai street setup with 1-2 woks Apple making Pad Thai
Two girls collapsed in front of a Talad Noi Vespa dealer shop after partying all night in Chinatown Early moning prayers before going to bed after a New Years night in China- town
Chinese New Year is more than a holiday, it is a marker in life. The Dragon Monster, symbolic of all the fears and uncertainty of life has been driven off for another year. If you once measured time from birthday to birthday, now you will measure it from Chinese New Year to New Year. Once you have experienced the New Year, drunk its blood, inhaled its essence, been bludgeoned by its enormity, you can never go back to being the person you were. You come away dazzled, shocked, amazed, changed. You may spend the rest of your life wondering what happened and what it means.
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