Chinese New Year

Phnom Penh is in the grip of Chinese New Year. It's not clear to me how long the celebrations will last. Even the Russian Market, a real landmark, is shut down for the next four days. Some school classes are closed. I thought that I might be awakened by fireworks at midnight one night, but not so; to date, the only fireworks I've seen were modest low ones on the other side of the river from the city.

The open areas in the city are very alive until 10pm or so each night, and then people seem to head home. At dusk Monday I strolled along the river front. There were more than the usual number of people sitting on the river wall. Boats with party lights were making leisurely trips up and down river; lots of Khmer were boarding these. It wasn't just a tourist thing. There were vendors selling peanuts and cheap toys and jewelry, as well as the folded lotus flowers and incense that are sold to people wanting to make offerings at the shrine.

I've been warned that all fresh fruit prices would double over these days since fruit is part of what is offered at to ancestors at this time of year. Guidebooks say that Wat Phnom is very busy through the night with families making offerings, but I haven't sacrificed my sleep to go see.

At one point military police stopped all traffic for a period of several minutes until a motorcade with siren accompaniment went screaming by.

After dinner Monday I walked home in the dark by a different route to see what was going on in a large square in front of the royal palace. Many families spread out mats on the ground for complex multi-course picnic dinners. There was a small dance party in one corner with 'tween' age girls doing most of the dancing to a boombox. Vendors were selling balloons and roasted ears of corn and soda and such. Young men were lounging around near their motos as they always do. There were lots of small children about. I suspect there is a carnival set up in another area where we've seen kite flying going on in the summer, but I didn't venture that far. The gathering seemed to be in full swing though it was very dark.

So--Happy New Year to all! Welcome to the year of the ox.