Synthesis in the Year of the Pig

We managed to catch the end of the two week celebration of Chinese New Year in Boston’s China town this weekend. We were there to celebrate the year of the pig, the 4704th year of the Chinese calendar. One of the most interesting things about these celebrations is how they seem to merge cultural, economic, and entertainment interests into one continuous, and relatively seamless, event.

Comparing this to another public expression of celebration, the parade, offers an interesting insight. Parades create separation. This is the parade path, blocked off and unobtainable for spectators. This is the spectator standing area. People who waited a long time stand closer, passerbys skirt the fringe.

The celebrations in China town constantly defy these expectations, especially if you come with the mindset of separation. Dragons roam the streets (lots of them, we counted at least ten distinct groups of two or three dragons). There is no forcible seperation, the closest equivalent comes from a group of people who wield long batons they can use (but often don’t) to separate spectators during calamitous portions of the event (such as when thousands of firecrackers explode).

We had the opportunity to be sitting down at a Japanese Hot Pot restaurant when dragons came in to eat lettuce, wildly attack patrons who ran up to them, and bring us all good fortune. Even our waiter posed for a picture with the accommodating beast. This highlights the inclusive nature of the experience. There are no borders, the parade moves seamlessly between the public street and the restaurant, shop, and market. Our first experience that day was when we noticed there was a dragon coming right at us, and merely stepped back to allow it safe passage.

Pigs are about synthesis, not separation, have you ever seen what’s in a hot dog?