The Festival of Lights in the Middle Kingdom!

We are here in Beijing, China, on a holiday, with our daughter Neelima and her husband Maulik. It has been a very nice trip and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is always a great pleasure to be with children. 

It gives immense satisfaction that we can be of some assistance to them albeit for a short period, running a bit of their errands for which they can’t spare time in their very tight schedule. That is the usual pattern of life for the young couples when they are both so occupied with their work and fast pace of life. To give them a helping hand is really of utmost significance and relaxing. 

On their part they have taken us around Beijing showing us various places of interest, historically and culturally and to a far off place like Hangzhou too. The latter too is a very scenic and beautiful place with Buddha relics, a Buddha temple, estates growing the famous green tea on the slopes of the land with a nice lake – the focal point of attraction. 

It was a great time for us to be here with them as Diwali happened to be on Sunday, 3rd of November. We were looking forward to celebrating it with them.  Celebrating festivals in a foreign land is quite different, starkly different from what we would do in India, though the festive joy is no less. 

We improvised tea lights as diyas and they served the purpose very well in place of the traditional earthen diyas. Once the diyas were lit, we did puja in our own simple way as we always do and wish for the good health and the prosperity of all. 

The big difference was that there were no crackers, no noise, and no consequent air pollution arising out of the smoke, though otherwise, air quality in Beijing is generally quite poor.  Moreover, the noise of the crackers could bring about an unnecessary panic or confusion in the society here, who I presume, may not be accustomed to such celebrations. However, today, the use of crackers is increasingly being discouraged in India too, because of obvious hazards. 

Taj Pavilion, one of the Indian restaurants, here in Beijing was considerate enough to wish its regular clients like Neelima and Maulik a very Happy Diwali with a box of traditional Indian sweets which served us well for the occasion. 

Meenakshi's culinary skills were at their very best - a special meal cooked at home gave us a treat for Diwali in our own way. On the whole we enjoyed the Diwali with children after a long time. 

The Indian Embassy here did invite the members of the Indian community on Sunday, 10th November, over a Diwali dinner. Due to other commitments, we had to miss this occasion.

And this reminded me of my time in Africa. Several years back we had a very pleasant experience of celebrating Dussehra in Kampala, Uganda. Before the rise of Idi Amin, there was a very large, progressive and vibrant Indian community there, especially the Gujaratis. We used to have Garba dance for some days, just like we would have in India. The diaspora was so keen to participate in all the activities there with a great fervour.  The venue used to be the Hindu Temple. The great nostalgic memories of those days are still fresh in our minds. We did miss our kith and kin at such times when we are far away from them. No doubt that is an integral part of life.

Certainly, this was an enjoyable Diwali!

Some Quirky Chinese Beliefs & Taboos...!

It is very interesting and a good learning experience to know about the weird thinking of different communities and nations, how they conduct themselves. No particular community or nation is immune to this. The western and so-called developed nations have similar notions. 

No wonder we observed similar things in China!

We stay with our daughter Neelima here in Beijing in a multi-storey tower on the 12th floor.  As we took the lift very often to go up and down, we noticed that the floors 4 and 13 are missing. We learnt that people avoid taking any apartment with an address bearing number 4. Towers and the hotels avoid having floors and rooms with such numbers since the clients won’t take them.  The number “4” is an unlucky number in Chinese. It is a homonym for “death” or “to die”. For the same reason, numbers like “14” and “44” are also inauspicious and avoided. Some hotels in China now don’t have a 44th floor because many Chinese guests wouldn’t like to stay there.

The number “8”, on the other hand is a very lucky number. It sounds like the word “getting rich” in Chinese, especially Cantonese. Therefore, the business houses love to have “8” in part of their address or phone number. They believe that the usage of number “8” will bring them good luck and prosperity. In  fact, people spend a lot of money to get phone numbers or license plates that incorporate the number ”8”. Similarly, a real estate property with an “8” in its address will be in greater demand, and a vehicle bearing “8” in the license plate will signify that the owner has spent a fortune to procure it. A very similar thinking is noticeable in India where you may spend a huge  amount of money to get your desired number which you may think is going to be lucky for you.

The number “6” is also considered a favorable number. It sounds like the word “happiness” in Chinese. Beware of the number “38”; it is especially problematic when associated with women. In Chinese parlance, it can mean bitchy, bimbo-like, or shameless depending upon the context. Ironically, March 8, or 3/8, is the International Day of Women. It is a day when all Chinese women take a half day off from work. Stores and restaurants have special concessions for women on that day.

Big ears with thick and large ear lobes are considered auspicious signs and people who have those are thought to be very lucky in life. No wonder some of the great men like Gandhiji  and Obama do have big and prominent ear lobes and stand as a testimony to the belief  prevalent here in China. It is not to say that the greatness was thrust upon them. They did great things for the society to ameliorate their sufferings and earn a name for themselves.

One month long, post-birth rituals, or zuoyuezi, are the most well observed and well respected rituals in tradition. It literally means “sitting for the month” in Chinese. During this month, a new mother is not allowed outside of her house so that she won’t catch cold from the blowing wind. No shower or head bath to avoid headaches and arthritis in later life. However sponge baths are allowed. She has to follow a diet regime of lot of chicken or fish soup without any salt added to promote the production of breast milk. No television or reading of books or magazines allowed to protect her eyesight. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks even on hot days to protect from cold in joints. Similarly the use of air conditioners or fans is prohibited. It is pertinent to mention here that such rituals are very much in vogue in India too, more so in the smaller towns and other rural places. Even the metros aren't immune to all this. 

Modern education, great advancements in medical science and improved civic amenities in life are bringing about a lot of change in the lives of people everywhere. While an upwardly-mobile lifestyle with a broader outlook is gradually replacing the old, rigid and dogmatic views, some quirks are bound to stay here in China, as we have seen in India.