Celebrating in Style: Chinese New Year 2024 in Binondo Chinatown

- February 10, 2024, Saturday, Chinese New Year.

- Chinese New Year has always been a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, it is an event that serves as an excuse to eat and dress fancily. On the other hand, if deciding to celebrate in Chinatown, it can be hell as the crowd is just too much. But at the end of the day, I guess all of these are just what makes Chinese New Year the joyful event that it is.

- This year, I decided to go out with my hanfu. It was my first time to wear a hanfu. Most people are now used to seeing the Mandarin-collared qipao/cheongsam or tang zhuang as the representatives of traditional Chinese sartorial culture, but these clothes are more contemporary than people think. The more historical ones are the "hanfu" (literally "Chinese clothing"), which look more like robes. They have evolved throughout the many Chinese dynasties , but hanfus - for both men and women - generally have a few parts. Usually there is a top part and a skirt. Additional layers or accessories will depend on one's position in society. In recent years, China has been experiencing a hanfu revival movement especially among the youth. It is nice to see that more young people are interested in learning more about their heritage. This has made hanfus become more available in stores, unlike before. Even here in the Philippines, it has also been easy to buy hanfus directly from China! Of course some of the designs have been modernized, and the use of colors has become less strict as well. I am also happy to see that some young Chinese-Filipinos have appreciated this aspect of Chinese culture too!

- For this year's CNY, I had a long catch-up moment with my friend Hanz, who has been studying abroad. We had a nice time in Lucky Chinatown, where a 500-foot wooden dragon art installation (for the year of the wooden dragon of course) was created by local Chinoy artist, Leeroy New. It was an interesting mix of Chinese and Filipino art that neatly contextualize Chinatown's culture and its people.

Had lunch at Golden Noodle House at Lucky Chiantown. Thankfully it wasn't crowded because lines were insane everywhere.

My friend Phoebe was also in her royal hanfu - complete with hair and accessories!! -- Now you see why I need to be fab, because my friends are fab too!!

Saw this nice lantern with fake autumn leaves.

Leeroy New's giant dragon artwork.

- Hanz and I also took time to go around Chinatown, which obviously is so close to our hearts. We stopped by Apologue, Binondo's newest cafe (across Masuki along Benavidez Street). What I like about it is that its food, drinks, and ambience were well-thought tributes to Binondo but without Chinese food. (I love Chinese food in Binondo, but I also appreciate a breather from Chinese food.)

Apologue the best.

Saw these guys at the Binondo Plaza.

I have finally been converted. I swore that I wouldn't buy any of these stupid duck hair pins, but here I am. I even got three (3 for 100). They actually look cute though.

- I ended the day with seeing more amazing friends at Lucky before calling it a day. Some people took photos of me and my friend Ana, who was also in her stunning hanfu. -- A running gag over the years of me celebrating Chinese New Year in Binondo was that people would often want to have photos taken of or with me because of what I wear. I thought I was about to end the day without random people doing that. Boy, was I wrong. (I appreciate the photos, by the way, especially when people ask nicely!)

Ash, Ana, and I were all in matching colors.

I am loving Ana's hanfu so much!

We have fans. HAHA. (Well OK, both senses of the word.)

My theater kiddos and our ducks.

0.5 selfie!

Hello Jane and Hazel!

- I didn't think I would have fun during this year's CNY. I'm actually not "allowed" to celebrate it yet because my mom passed away a few months back. That's also the reason why I wasn't wearing anything red, the staple color of any Chinese celebration - I still couldn't, based on cultural norms. But I guess what I got out of my CNY experience this year was that I have good (and fab!) friends around me who are there for me despite things happening in my life. I guess, that is something I can be thankful for, CNY or not! 

The Ram's Headbang: Chinese New Year 2015

- February 19, 2015, Thursday.

- This afternoon I met friends Ivy, Charles, Mia, and Von in the new-year chaos that is Binondo Chinatown. It was around 1:30 in the afternoon, and even then all restaurants had waiting lines outside their doors that were longer than the dragons dancing on the streets. It also rained a bit, but the clouds remained gray the rest of the day. I reached Binondo Church shortly after finding my way through the crowd. We were complete around 2pm.

The first dragon I saw for the day.

People in Binondo Church, while waiting for my companions.

Street kid lighting up some candles.

- There was a parade in Ongpin during that time, and it blocked the whole street. My companions had not eaten then, so I thought of going through a detour, and fortunately, Tasty Dumplings was crowded like all the other restaurants. We grabbed seats and had a sumptuous lunch; they were nice enough to treat me.

Trying to replicate my photo from last year, but the sky and the view just weren't cooperating.

Wih friends.

Lunch.

-  Walking around Binondo this year in a costume was not as bad as it was a year ago. After a tiring near year last year, with adventures and some misadventures, I promised myself that I wouldn't wear a full-blown costume this year to prevent some of the things that happened last year (read about it here.) I kept this promise until yesterday, but changed my mind at the last minute earlier today; I guess I just couldn't resist. Well, I probably had a less stressful experience this year since I was out in the streets for a shorter amount of time than I did last year.

She accidentally took a photo of herself.

One of the people who took a photo with me. She seems to be my biggest fan?? LOL.

With my companions.

My solo shot, just as before.

- My companions wanted to buy some lucky charms for the new year, so we went around Chinatown to look for charms that they wanted, while passing by numerous rainbow-colored dragons and lions.

Came across this lion.

And this dragon.

Dragon and lions.

The dragon was trying to catch the spinning ball.

My turn.

Charles the dragon bearer.

- After reaching the Sta. Cruz side of Chinatown, we went to Escolta to get some refreshments before going back to "mainland Chinatown." The sky remained ash-gray, so I did not notice how much time had flown. It was a bit past 6pm, and the store signs and street lights began to light up one by one, giving more life to the street celebrations; the lights also seemed to make up for the sunny day that the clouds robbed from the people. As for us, we went home shortly after the sunset, with blinding fireworks as our last view of Binondo Chinatown for tonight.

Family Mart.

Sunday Holiness: The Pre-New Year Binondo Temple Visit

- February 15, 2015, Sunday.

- Whenever my amateur photographer and college friend Raphael comes to Binondo, it's always an event by itself; we meet each other only once a year, usually during the Chinese New Year season. He usually comes to Binondo to take nice photos of the new year festivities, although he had a personal matter to take care of this time; he won't be around during the actual new year. Apart from his other personal matter, he was also willing to help me out with the SLR camera I won from a photography contest by the Indian Embassy just few weeks ago (read about the contest and the accompanying 66th Republic Day flag-hoisting event here.) 

- As usual, Rap wanted me to tour him around Binondo; each time we meet, the task gets more challenging. I think Rap has seen most of the must-sees in Binondo twice during his many photo-walks with me or his other photographer friends. Fortunately, I thought of bringing him to Manila's Seng Guan Temple, or in Hokkien, "Seng Guan Si." I had a hunch that he has not been to that hidden jewel, because the temple is quite distant from "mainland Chinatown," making it hard for non-Binondo or non-Chinoys (Chinese-Filipinos) to be familiar with this temple.

- Rap was enticed by the idea of visiting a large temple in the heart of Manila, so we walked to Narra Street from Ongpin to see the temple. The Seng Guan Temple was built in the 30s/40s, and it frequented by Chinoy Buddhists to pray to the Chinese/Mahayana-localized gods, or to pray for their ancestors, among other things. Apart from the many Buddhist icons everywhere in the temple, the more interesting part of the temple is located at the second floor.

Rap trying my SLR; he took a photo of my big head.

Initial shots.

More incense sticks. 

Why hello Rap.

- The second floor's central prayer hall has panels above the posts that chronologically depict scenes from the life of Siddhartha Gautama. Rap was fascinated by it, and even when I've seen these wall carvings many times before, the detailed golden carvings still manage to catch my interest.

My attentive tourist.

An apsara stuck at the corner.

Again I'm not sure what this creature is or what its significance is. Help anyone??

- My favorite part of the temple is the main prayer hall, or "The Hall of the Ten Thousand Buddhas." This giant hall houses the multiple-story tall Buddhist trinity - Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahasthamaprapta. The statues are backed with embossed carvings of divine beings, mostly apsaras (sort of like fairies.)

The iconic triad.

- Rap noticed that the door to the stairs going to the higher floors of the main hall was open, so we decided to check out the higher floors. The topmost floor had an exit to the roof of the temple, where the stupas (mounds/holy spires) can be seen up close.

From the second floor.

Hard to take a selfie with my SLR. I'm still more comfortable with my handy digicam.

The big stupa; reminds me of the one in the king's grand palace in Thailand.

Photo from the third floor of the prayer hall.

Close-up shot of  Amitabha.

- After a few more photos, we had lunch at Tasty Dumplings. It was Rap's first time. The restaurant's signature pork chop was too big for him, but he was happy.

A happy kid.

Nyom.

I shall not take selfies with my SLR again. Haha. Hard to get perfect selfies.

- Rap had to go home after he finished his business in Chinatown. Although he'll be missing this year's new year events, it just gives him a reason to come back to Binondo next year!

The Double Mid-Autumn Surprise: Ramada Ongpin's Buffet

- September 9, 2014, Tuesday.

- My friend Margarette texted me excitedly right after I finished doing some editing for my thesis proposal. She asked if I was free, and if I was, she wanted me to hurry up to Binondo's Ramada Hotel. I knew something big was up, because I detected a really different speech pattern through her texts. Trusting her with my life, I dressed up quickly and dashed off to Ramada.

- After arriving at the second floor of the hostel, where the humble buffet was located, I saw Margerette, Melissa, and two other friends I did not expect to see. I gasped; I was so shocked that I was not able to make a sound, and I covered my mouth with both hands to make sure I won't scream and make the hotel explode. I saw the Oi twins, Oi Hing and Oi Kwan, and apparently it was their last day in the country from their short mid-autumn-long-weekend vacation. They have been based in Hong Kong for some time now, and I was fortunately able to meet them last March when I visited Hong Kong for the 9th Asian Studies Conference organized by the Asian Studies Association of Hong Kong and a short vacation afterwards (see part 1, part 2, and part 3.) Margarette and Melissa knew about the twins' coming after both of them met the twins in Hong Kong just before my trip to Korea a few weeks ago for the 25th International Youth Forum (see part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.,) but all four of them apparently kept the secret from me just so they could make me do a priceless surprised face that was not caught on cam. (Thanks, guys.)

Twins!! :D:D:D:D

- I settled down after I was told about everything, and I got myself ready for the buffet. Ramada's buffet is not too big, but I fancied the food options available. The buffet both served non-Chinese/international (ex. broccoli and cheese, paella,) and a limited choice of dimsum. It had a pasta and fresh lumpia (fresh spring roll) station as well. The dessert station served a few cakes, three kinds of ice cream, and some fresh fruits. Apart from these, I also had my eye on their fluffy ensaymada that I paired up with their diabetically-sweet chocolate ice cream (since there was no hot chocolate around.)

Pardon my hunger.

My ensaymada with chocolate ice cream.

- We finally had to leave when the twins had to meet their family and rush off to the airport to catch their late afternoon flight back to Hong Kong. Marga had to leave too to fix some stuff back home, while Melissa and I went to Lucky Chinatown to catch a movie to give our tummies some time to digest our nice heavy lunch.