It's the last weekend before Chinese New Year, which is Monday. Our neighborhood is largely deserted, since everyone has started traveling to be with their families. This morning, Andy and I had a coffee in one of our local cafes, and enjoyed being virtually the only customers.The Hong Kongers who are staying here, including ourselves, are currently devoting their money and energy to preparing for the holiday. It feels a lot like Christmas in the U.S., where everyone is busy shopping for decorations, gifts, food, and new clothes. Flowers are a big part of the decorations, and many people buy them at the annual Flower Market in Victoria Park, located between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau.
We rode the MTR a few stops to Causeway Bay. I noticed that on the escalators going into the station, everyone was empty-handed; on the escalators coming out of the station, everyone was carrying a burst of colorful flowers, balloons, and other decorations. We were obviously heading in the right direction!
As usual, Causeway Bay was crowded. Still, I wasn't prepared for this mass of people funneling through the entrance:
As we made our way into the market, we became packed shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the crowd, which was simply a solid wall of bodies inching forward on shuffling feet. I was only just able to raise my arm above my head to get this shot:
A captive audience like this presents a golden sales opportunity, so the crowd is assaulted with loudspeakers barking sales pitches and product demonstrations. Each little booth has its own tinny sound system, turned up as loud as possible to get your attention and to drown out the competition. My pictures can't convey the overwhelming noise.The upcoming year is the Year of the Ox, so most of the souvenirs -- and salespeople -- use the ox or cow as their theme:
The ox souvenirs were cute, but what I was really interested in were the traditional Chinese New Year flowers and plants. The flower booths were set up on the other side of the market, and were just as insanely crowded:
Each kind of plant symbolizes something that you'd want to have around for the New Year. For instance, nearly everyone buys these miniaturized orange and tangerine plants for good fortune -- that is, money. Businesses will place these plants throughout their buildings, especially at the entrance:
Branches of flowering plum represent luck and prosperity:
These folks are snapping up chrysanthemums, for longevity:
Other decorations are for sale, such as these colorful pinwheels. I'm not sure why they are so popular at the New Year:
At this stand, you can put together a basket of decorative fruit:
Despite the crowds, this trip was worth it to get our New Year decorations and to participate in a big holiday ritual. A future post will have pictures of how we've set up our flat to properly welcome in the New Year.
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