Gong xi fa ca!

Today marks the beginning of the year of the Ox on the lunar calendar. Many people of Asian cultures around the world are celebrating the new year with festivals and feasts and offerings to each other and the god of prosperity. Here in Singapore, we like to call it the "Lunar New Year" instead of "Chinese New Year" because people from other parts of Southeast Asia celebrate it too, particularly in Vietnam and Thailand.

There are over 40 million people of Chinese descent outside of greater china, and they make up the majority of Singapore's population, at about 80%. To see how the new year celebrations compare on opposite sides of the world and to explore how Chinese culture compares in two places with vibrant Chinatowns, I have devised a game called...Singapore or San Francisco (with the help of my spies across the Pacific). Can you tell where each pic was taken? Sometimes they're quite tricky ;). The key is at the bottom...

Another photo journal to come with my new year odyssey through busy Chinatown streets, crazy Chinese comedy productions, burning alters, and Buddhist prayers and offerings in the Buddha tooth temple.

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

a - SF
b - SF
c - SF
d -SG
e - SG
f -SF
g - SF
h - SF
i - SG
j - SF
k - SF
l - SG
m - SG
n - SG
o - SG
p - SF
q - SF
r - SG
s - SG
t - SF
u - SG
v - SF