Lighting Up the Lunar New Year

Today is Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year if one wants to be inclusive of the Korean and Vietnamese people who also celebrate this passing of another annual cycle.  It's the Year of the Pig this year--the 12th and last year of the Chinese zodiac before we start over again with the Year of the Rat.  The new year is a time for reflection and good tidings, for celebration with family and wishes for prosperity.  And when one thinks of Chinese New Year, one associated visual is firecrackers lighting up the air with vibrant energy and sound.

Appropriately, World of Color's "Hurry Home" preshow makes for a relatable photo setting.  This tag has been a feature of the World of Color the past two years for the Lunar New Year celebration.  Unfortunately, it's not running this year--another casualty of the show's downtime as it continues to recover from its severe breakdown last year that caused notable infrastructure damage and is still being fixed up.  But we can look back to Lunar New Years past to celebrate still, and this finale from the Hurry Home show incorporates some nice pyrotechnics to really send the preshow off on a high note.

So, with that, I bid a Happy New Year to everyone celebrating it.  Gong Xi Fa Cai!  Xin Nian Kuai Le!  Chúc mừng năm mới!  Saehae bok manhi badeuseyo! May the Year of the Pig be a fortuitous one for you!