Mother of Invention

The Chinese are credited with inventing a number of things, such as paper, the compass and gunpowder. On the Chinese New Year, it also becomes abundantly clear that it was the Chinese who invented fireworks.
We wanted to wait until midnight to set off our own, but at 10:30 our feet got itchy and we went outside to the courtyard with strings of firecrackers, sparkler sticks and sparkler cones. Before we got down to celebrating, W had prepared a small ceremony for his deceased parents. As is tradition at New Year's, people burn pieces of yellow paper that represent money in memory of those who have already passed. We found a spot in the street where W put down the papers, which he had folded in a way so that they would burn easily and completely, and then lit the pile on fire. Looking down the street, there were a number of other families doing the same. One couple a few yards away from us were burning a large pile of the paper money, and as the wife tended to the flames with a long stick, the husband set out a long string of firecrackers and two roman candle boxes, one on each side of the street. When the flames were almost out, he lit the firecrackers and one of the roman candles.
The day had been filled with the sounds of firecrackers, but the evening, so close to midnight, was a true display of new year's celebration. Fireworks shot up into the sky from just down the street, maybe 200 feet into the air but it seemed like more. It burst into a display that perfectly explains why the word for "firework" in Chinese, yen-hua, is composed of the two characters for "fire" and "flower".
Such revelry would never be permitted in Japan for fear of disorder and possibly house fires. Many states in the U.S. long ago outlawed personal use of fireworks, for safety and to keep the peace. However, one can hardly imagine trying to quell the neighborhood fireworks here. The air is filled with smoke, there are lights and sounds all around. People are out in the streets, although the children watch from windows. The elderly watch tv with their families, which features musicians, comedians and magic artists, which seems like the only channel available. There is even an English translation provided, and J tells me that the show is broadcast around the world. I have only seen the show in China, but times are changing. Many of the people featured on the show are certainly talented, and the Chinese are, afterall, the mother of invention.