Chinese New Year in Nakhon Sawan
When celebrating new year’s eve, it always feel like the
year’s flown by super quick so you can imagine what it was like to be wishing
people a happy new year again in February.
But this time was different, it was Chinese New Year and I was in the
midst of one of the biggest celebrations in Thailand, comparable to Christmas
back home. With a considerable Chinese
population, Nakhon Sawan hosts a spectacular festival, spanning 11 days of
acrobatics, street markets, Chinese theatre, Shaolin monk performances and
dragon & lion shows.
The excitement started building as early as my arrival in
NS, when I could hear the drummers practising their beats as the giant dragon
show began rehearsals. On seeing the
live show I realised the importance of the lengthy rehearsals, it was like nothing
I’ve ever seen before, the city really pulls out all the stops in getting this
show together. The markets were erected
at the beginning of the festivities and huge crowds of locals and visitors
started buzzing through the streets, the glowing red of the lanterns and flags
guiding the way through the tunnels of street stalls that sold clothing,
accessories and Chinese gifts at a flippin’ steal!
The Chao Praya river was covered temporarily with a stage and seating
area with a small section aside for food stalls and this was where the nightly
live performances were held. Everything
from Shaolin monks wielding swords to Chinese dragons doing acrobatics, it was
an impressive display of Chinese pride.
Although my Thai is slowly improving I am, by no means, a Thai speaker
so when something is happening here I have only farang hearsay to go on, so I
just turned up to the hoopla with zero expectations, settled in and enjoyed the
show. It was a refreshing change from my
previous new year’s shindigs and their immense pressure to have a good
time…ultimately ending in an anti climactic hangover on Jan 1st.
The New Year parade was an array of light, music and
glamour. Floats carrying beautiful
ladies and fluffy Chinese lions drifted through the evening humidity. The show came to a stunning finale with a
giant dragon scaling a pole via some very nimble acrobats. The movements of the dragons and lions were
so lifelike it was easy to forget the people tucked underneath operating eye
and ear movements aswell as body.
The following morning the day parade was held and the
beautiful ladies had their costumes, hair and make up immaculately reapplied for
another jaunt through the city. This time,
the dragon galloped through the streets visiting shops to bless them with good
luck. In just a few hours, the parade
dissolved and was pursued by a team of street cleaners hurriedly making the
streets spick and span and that was the end of Chinese New Year. I have no doubt the organisers slept solidly
that whole day - I did, I was pooped!
Images: Sinéad Millea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVB7r2l333Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoGivKOFEFE
