Fireworks!

I think that it is common knowledge that I love fireworks. During the week before and after the 4th of July I can be found driving vast distances to see a good fireworks show. I love the flash of color followed by the sharp sound. While I can remember covering my ears from the boom of sound as a child, I can’t remember being afraid of a quality fireworks display. Being that fireworks were invented in China during the 12th century, I expected that the Chinese would share my love of exploding pyrotechnic stars. I was, however, enormously mistaken. The Chinese don’t merely love fireworks, they are obsessed with them.
During the 12th century fireworks were used by the Chinese people to ward of evil spirits. I have to say that I’ve become a believer. How else would you explain the complete lack of evil spirits in China today? I mean, if I was an evil spirit I would definitely get out of here. The number of fireworks set off every single day is unbelievable. I’ve been in China for about 80 days and I think I can count the number of fireworks-less days I’d had since then on one hand. The Chinese use fireworks to celebrate a birth, a death, a wedding, a holiday, and the grand-opening of a new place of business. I am personally convinced that fireworks also mark the availability of oranges at the market, Tuesdays, and the successful crossing of the street by elderly women. With all these things to celebrate, hearing fireworks is not at all uncommon.
Because the Chinese have so many events to celebrate and many more fireworks to shoot off, they are unable to discriminate on the time of day that they set them off. In the US we generally prefer to view a fireworks display in the dark or, at the very least, dusk. The Chinese do not have this luxury. Darkness does not cover the land long enough. Perhaps for this reason they choose to set off fireworks at any time of day. Today, for example, I was lucky enough to hear a firework display at 6:00am, 7:30am, and 10:45am. You might be wondering how fireworks can be properly seen in the daylight. The answer is simple; they can’t. You are just able to hear loud blasts, which the first few times made me wonder if the city was under attack. In fact, while traveling I met two Israelis who said: “This morning we were awoken by fireworks. Being from Jerusalem, we thought it was gun fire and immediately ducked for cover.”
Personally, I think I’m suffering from fireworks overload and can feel my love of exploding chemicals dying within me, which saddens me greatly. I only hope I’ll be able to recover once I return to the US.