Chinese New Year In London

Hi Guys,

Last week marked the start of the year of the Tiger. And this time, for the first time since I was about 10 years old, I dragged myself to China Town to join in with the celebrations. Arriving at Trafalgar Square at around 1.30pm, after aiming to arrive in time for the dotting of the dragon’s eyes at 12.30pm, we were greeted with Chinese dancing on a big stage. This was all lovely until the presenter came on. This winey, high pitched voice boomed out from the speakers and I’m sure everyone within a 5 mile radius was reaching for ear plugs. Myleene mustn’t have been available. Oh well the presenter was probably cheaper and just a little bit less annoying.

It was nice to see that China Town was jam-packed full of people, but doesn't everyone know that all of the restaurants in C-Town are full on Chinese New Year? I mean, even the ones which scream "I need a visit from the health inspectors" have queues. In my opinion, there’s no point going to China Town to eat on Chinese New Year, unless you’re prepared to stand outside in the cold for at least 40mins to get a seat. Then, once you're in, you're rushed through your meal and ushered quickly out the door, in less time than it took you to get a table.

So we gave this torturous ordeal a miss and followed the sounds of the beating drums hoping to catch some of the action. Now one thing you have to know about me is that I do not cope well with crowds. A 10 minute stroll down Oxford Street is enough to send my blood pressure sky high, so I was quite surprised at how relaxed I was. On a normal day I (like any self-respecting central London commuter) can envision myself smashing through the crowds, kicking and pushing anybody who dares to push past me.

I wouldn’t actually do this, because I’m not (that) crazy and I’m not one for starting fights I’d struggle to win. If some hefalump pushes me out the way then I usually seethe with anger, stick out a foot and send them on a little trip.

We fought our way calmly through the crowds (of mostly English people I observed, Chinese Londoners must know of some other better celebrations which are a secret to everyone else) to a group of drummers and a dragon with two small boys in it. This was great but I was a little bit disappointed by the size of the dragon. My memories of China Town are of huge scary dragons dancing and winding through the crowds. I remember being in awe of the show and this time I have to say it didn’t live up to my memories. Maybe the big booming drums and intimidating dragons were saved for later when the kids have gone to bed, or maybe they were the same size, but just seemed huge and intimidating to a 4ft tall 8 year old…

On the way to take my boyfriend's little brother to Forbidden Planet (a huge comic shop) we passed the fire station which was having an open day. We stopped to take some pictures of the firemen and the kids in the fire engines, and it seems from the excitement plastered on the kids and mums faces that men in uniforms are appreciated by not just the young, but their old horny mums as well!