A Happy New Year - with "Shock and Awe"

A Happy New Year to all of you dear family and friends,

 

Being nine hours ahead, we were fortunate to celebrate the passing of 2004 and coming of 2005 ahead of you, and can tell you that 2005 looks much like 2004!   We say "celebrate" a bit tongue-in-cheek because it certainly fell short of celebration by Romanian standards.  Let's put it this way, we don't think that even the inhabitants of Baghdad felt the 'shock and awe' that we felt last night.  Had this been war time, we would have without a doubt thought our end was near.  It is only our guesstimate, but there were probably enough money  spent on fire crackers and like-devices that may have paid off half of Romania's national debt. 

 

So, what is New Year like in Romania?  Well, in terms of partying, it is perhaps the biggest celebration.  Most stores are open short hours in the morning of the 31st so people can load up on last minute items.  We went shopping yesterday morning to a big shopping center nearby and the place was indeed quite packed.  Amazingly, inside the store, as big as a mall perhaps, only selected shops were open.  Most entrance doors read "Closed for New Year, will reopen Jan 5th" - that's right, January 5th, not the 2nd, or the 3rd, but the 5th.  As Shannon and Daniela went inside to the supermarket, I waited outside with Lexi and Naomi so we wouldn't have to haul Naomi's stroller up and down the stairs or dodge the traffic inside the store.  Besides, most supermarkets in Bucharest don't allow strollers and some don't even allow kids under a certain age, usually 7 years.  One thing that's for sure is that in general Romania is not handicapped-friendly, particularly for the physically disabled.  As a matter of fact, one just doesn't see people in wheelchairs around town, probably because it would be very hard to go anywhere since curbs are high and don't have easy access, and most stores have stairs to go up on from the main street.  Anyway, so...  as I was waiting outside with Lexi and Naomi, two groups of carolers passed by us, both containing more than 10 people each and equipped with brass bands, people dressed in colorful costumes, the ever-present Capra (see earlier posting) and other mythological characters.  These groups, going up and down the boulevard, sang to the top of their lungs and played traditional Romanian music, while passers-by handed them money for their performance.  It was quite a sight to see, particularly for the kids who enjoyed the loud music and colorful costumes. 

 

In late afternoon, most people begin their journey to friends' homes where they will celebrate New Year.   It's easy spotting them on the street because they usually are dressed very well, are carrying several bags with goodies, flowers, cakes, etc.  Once the party starts, it will last until 6 or 7 the following morning.  There is eating, drinking, dancing, and watching TV all night.  Every single TV station tries to outdo each other with the quality of the programming (from 2 hours of TV 15 years ago, there are now more than 5 stations, and that's without cable TV).  The traditional New Year program consists of a plethora of songs and funny stories.  Therefore, the TV is an essential element of celebrating the New Year.

 

Above, we mentioned fire crackers and similar devices.  These have been going on continuously now since before Christmas.  Last night, at about 11:45, the city experienced an unleashing of the best fireworks that lasted intensely well past 1 in the morning, non-stop, and peaked right at 0:00.  There were a few emergency vehicles rushing by on calls, so there must have been a few injuries without a doubt.  Being on the 12th floor, we have a great view of the horizon and could see fireworks all over the town, not only in the center of the city.  Also, due to our height, we were able to see the fireworks go off right in front of us.  One of the fireworks show was less than a hundred yards from us, giving us prime seating.  The detonations and the cracking was perhaps as loud and shaking as dynamite.  The only thing we didn't get was shattered windows and cracked walls and ceilings.  I could not help but think of the pictures on TV showing the start of the war in Iraq, complete with loud detonations and flashes of light in the horizon.  That must have been one frightful experience!

 

Our celebration was quite subdued, watching Shrek, a couple of Lucy Show episodes, and playing a game of UNO.  After the midnight frenzy toned down a bit, we went to bed and amazingly slept through it all.  Next year may be a bit different, as the saying goes "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."  Well, of course, we'll do some things as the Romanians do, not everything is worth doing.

 

So, for now, we wish you all a "REVELION FERICIT si LA MULTI ANI!" - which translated means "A happy New Year's party and a Happy New Year!".