I’d hate to leave you thinking that Chinese New Year is only the loud and rowdy kind. There are quiet moments too, the bits of calm in the fireworks storm. But you have to seek them out because they're tucked away behind closed doors and waiting for you to find them.
The best place to look is the temples where throngs of Chinese
go to start the New Year. Families and individuals, couples and small groups, they're all moving through the spaces, lighting incense and candles, and following
traditions that have drawn them in, away from the noise and commotion.
Even if you're unfamiliar with the intricacies of the
beliefs (as we are) you should still visit a temple during the New Year
holiday. There’s a beautiful flow to the believers and their movements, and a
lush incense cloud hovers in the space.
The fragrant wisps that rise from incense are a special kind of smoke, and they gently insist that it's not just fireworks, but also this sort of serenity, that can be brought alive with the lick of a flame.
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