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! 

My Pandemic Chinese New Year!

- Feb. 13, 2021, Saturday.

- Holy crap it's been a year since I last wrote something here!! In case you're reading this from the future, I'd like to remind you that a pandemic swept through the world in early March 2020 that halted everything. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to stay at home, which included education and work, and going outdoors was, supposedly, mainly for doing errands. Leisure trips outside have been strongly discouraged with the rising cases of those affected by the virus, and some establishments like cinemas and other non-essential entertainment facilities have also closed down. Among the many industries affected by the pandemic, the travel industry was one that took a big took blow since borders have closed and non-essential travel are mostly not allowed. Since there are only a handful to no tourists roaming around, businesses like transportation, hotels/accommodations, souvenir stores, tourist spots, and other attractions have either closed temporarily (or worse, for good!) or they had to lay off so many people. While I am bummed that I can't travel like most people - and as in the past few years, this is the longest I've stayed in Manila without going out of the region - frankly I'm just happy to be alive and well right now.  

- Despite all the negativity happening in the world today, I was still able to sort of "celebrate" the Lunar New Year. I went to Lucky Chinatown Mall for errands the day after the Lunar New Year, and noticed that the mall was not crowded despite it being a Saturday. I also noticed that there were nice photo spots set up around the mall, and some usual photo spots had have been there for years but never really got to have a photo taken there.

The rows of lanterns at the third-floor walkway.

They've always been there and I've always admired them, but I guess I was always too busy to roam around to have a photo taken here.

- Since I didn't really plan a photoshoot here - and why would I in the middle of a pandemic - I didn't bring a tripod, so I had to ask people to take my photos. Thankfully they turned out well. Also, face masks and face shields are necessary when going outside the house to protect oneself. Plus, social distancing is a must. 

The second-floor walkway overseeing the sea of lanterns outside, plus the Macau-looking facade of the mall buildings.

- Initially I planned to remove my mask and shield as my photo was being taken (and only during those moments,) but I thought it would be better to keep my mask and shield on as a reminder to my future self that there was once a time in the world when we had to wear all these things when going out to do simple tasks. (This, of course, is me being optimistic that the world will be normal once more and that people can do regular things outdoors without masks and shields, and without any fear of getting a pandemic-level virus.) Since it was Lunar New Year, I did not fail to wear something cultural significant - what else but one of my casual Chinese attires. Even though you can't see my face, at least I'm still recognizable through my clothes.

Not really sure what kind of aesthetic they were going for, but this was part of the Chinatown Museum promotions. The museum is located in the annex building of Lucky Chinatown Mall.

I'm a piece of art too.

WHEN WILL COVID END????

- It took me more than a month to finally write this - not only because I've been busy with doing research in the middle of a pandemic - but also because I initially thought that my trip to the mall for errands was something significant. However, I later thought that it has come to this point that going out of the house for errands like buying groceries or going to the bank has become "exciting" for me since those are the only times I can go out and have some break from "cabin fever." I try to be responsible and only go out when necessary though. In a way, my trip to the mall during the Lunar New Year has become my temporary definition of an "adventure" since I really have nowhere else to go. I am still hoping that the world will go back to normal soon, though it's easier said than done.  

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.

The Grand "Cosplay" On Chinese New Year: Gilbert's First "Cosplay" Experience

- January 31, 2013, Friday, Chinese New Year.

- People who are acquainted with me would know that I simply adore wearing cultural or culturally-inspired attires on a regular basis. I might wear something a bit fancy during formal occasions, and wear my theatrical costumes during special-but-not-formal occasions. Today, I decided to do something a bit different, and walk around Chinatown with my grand Qing-Dynasty costume to fully embody the Chinese-New-Year vibe. I wanted to cosplay as "the fat boy on the angpao." Some angpaos or new year banners/posters feature a chubby boy and a chubby girl holding symbols of well wishes or sometimes, even little angpaos of their own.

- I met up with my college friend Rap and strolled along Chinatown to take photographs of the merrymaking - apparently, I soon became a part of the merrymaking, with people taking photographs with me and my garb. We later decided to have lunch, although finding a place was extremely difficult, since it was lunch time. We had no choice but to go to Lucky Chinatown's food court for a quick lunch.

Holding a dragon.

First few people who came up to me for photos.

- We went back to Ongpin where many people one again took photos of me and my costume. I really felt guilty that Rap would usually stand at the side while he waited for me to finish my almost non-stop photo-op. I was beginning to feel weary too, although sharply refusing to take photographs with people might make the people think that I was a snobbish hypocrite (that is, having a nice costume but not wanting to be photographed.) Haha. Worse, Rap would sometimes be the photographer for the people. I'm glad Rap was a good sport (not to mention he was a good photographer too.)

Another dragon.

Can't get enough of lions.

And can't get enough of holding lions.

The epitome of celebrating Chinese New Year in Binondo Chinatown.

Preparing for my moment.

My full costume and looks of curiosity from everyone.

Of course I knew they wanted to have a photo with me. LOL. 

- We went to Golden Fortune to have dimsum. For the first time, dimsum afternoon was a semi-disaster afternoon, because the kitchen had to constantly work double-time to fill all the orders, and so not all dimsum items were available, unless we were willing to wait an eternity for our order to be prepared. We just had some dimsum items that were readily available. They were yummy, still.

Hello Rapppp. Finally we can have Chinese food. :D:D:D:D

Some lions and a dragon went inside Golden Fortune.

Dropped by Shirby's store after Rap left.

Cute kiddo!! :D:D:D:D

Jose Mari Chan.

Buddha statue at the Lucky Chinatown alley.

- Rap had to go afterwards, and I had to go back to Chinatown and Lucky Chinatown. As expected more people came to me and asked to have some photographs with me. When I reached Lucky Chinatown, I was fortunate to have had a glimpse of Jose Mari Chan performing before having a small conversation with a friend. Even until I was about to ride a trike home, more people came to be for photos. Now, I am really really tired from all the people and the crowd itself, but I am very happy that I was able to do something bold for the new year, and it was a nice experience sharing my culture in this manner with mostly non-Chinese people. (And at least I was able to wear my red Qing-Dynasty changzhuang on the streets; I've only worn it to a photoshoot at home, and for a report on China in school.)