China

Fireworks have a colorful history

Independence Day celebrations are marked by many spectacles. But few can garner the "oohs and aahs" of a good fireworks display. Summer is a time of year when the resonating booms and bright spills of color that dot the night sky are quite common.


Fireworks, which can be traced back thousands of years, have an interesting history. Many historians believe fireworks originated in ancient China as early as 200 B.C. It is thought that early fireworks were not the gunpowder-filled explosives of today, but something made from bamboo, a material native to China. Chunks of bamboo, a thick, fast-growing grass, may have been tossed onto a fire as fuel. The rods would blacken, but eventually explode in the fire, causing a loud, frightening noise. This noise was a result of trapped air and sap inside of the bamboo rods heating and expanding until the bamboo exploded under the pressure. The exploding bamboo was used to ward off animals, other people and evil spirits.


Chinese alchemists eventually stumbled on a recipe for basic gunpowder, mixing together saltpeter (potassium nitrate, then a common kitchen seasoning), charcoal, sulfur, and other ingredients. This powder was packed inside of hollow bamboo rods to produce an even bigger bang. Soon paper tubes replaced the bamboo, and fireworks were used for more than just scaring away spirits, as they were routinely included in special celebrations and even deployed during military engagements. 


Fireworks may have begun in China, but they were soon being used around the world. Italians had been fascinated with fireworks ever since the explorer Marco Polo brought back firecrackers from Asia in 1292. During the Renaissance in Europe, the Italians began to develop fireworks into a true art form. Since this was a period of artistic creativity and expression, many new fireworks were created. 


"Firemasters" were fireworks experts in medieval England. They worked with "green men," who wore caps of leaves to protect themselves from raining sparks from the fireworks. 
In 1758, the Jesuit missionary Pierre Nicolas le Cheron d'Incarville, living in Beijing, wrote to the Paris Academy of Sciences about the methods and composition of fireworks, including how to make many types of Chinese fireworks. 


The world remains fascinated by fireworks even now. Fireworks displays have grown more elaborate over the years, requiring the skills of pyrotechnic experts, carpenters and digital sound masters. Various powders and chemicals mixed together produce a rainbow display of colors and aerial tricks that would likely have shocked the earliest firework creators.


Not forgetting its origins, China continues to produce and export more fireworks than any other country in the world. Safety experts recommend the public leave fireworks to the professionals and sit back and relax during awe-inspiring pyrotechnic displays. As the United States and Canada prepare for their respective Independence Day celebrations, flashy fireworks displays are bound to be part of the festivities. 

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Each year at the turn of the lunisolar Chinese calendar, celebrants gather for a festival that remains one of the most significant social and economic holidays for those of Chinese descent. According to History.com, Chinese New Year is a time to honor household and heavenly deities and ancestors. It’s also a spring festival in which people pray for a good harvest and spend time with family and friends.


It’s unclear when Chinese New Year celebrations originated in China, but some historians believe it evolved from the year-end religious ceremony during the Shang Dynasty (1766 to 1122 BCE). Others date it back even further. 


Legends also surround the origins of the celebration. According to tales passed on through generations, Chinese New Year started with a fight against a mythical beast that looked like an ox with a lion’s head. Called “The Year,” this beast would emerge from its watery abode to harm animals, people and properties, but feared fire, loud sounds and the color red. That is why the Chinese will post banners of duilian (couplets of poetry), participate in parades and shoot fireworks off in commemoration of the holiday.


According to the travel information group, China Highlights, the Spring Festival, known as Chinese New Year in the western hemisphere, is an official public holiday in China. Many Chinese people will have seven days off from work to celebrate.
In addition to fireworks, dragon dances and ancestor worship

are part of many celebrations. Temple fairs may offer traditional performances, representing such events as an emperor’s wedding. Snacks and other foods not typically consumed the rest of the year are offered.
Red, of course, is a primary color for decorating and celebrating as it’s considered to be a lucky color. Red lanterns are hung, and red images of prosperity are posted on official buildings.
This year will be the Year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese zodiac. Celebrations will begin on February 8, 2016, and the year will continue through January 27, 2017. The monkey is thought to be a clever animal, and those born under this sign are considered intelligent.