It was the eve of Chinese New Year, and what better place to be in Manila than Chinatown? I wasn’t running of course, but it was really nice to walk around and see how this festivity is celebrated.
Entrance to Manila Chinatown
It may not be a surprise if I reveal that I’m actually a quarter Chinese, and because of that I’m naturally curious with some Chinese traditions (since we don’t really observe them at home). Since I was coincidentally in the area and had my trusty camera along, walking around on this festive day in Manila Chinatown was a no-brainer.
Let’s begin the tour…
Lucky charms, anyone? 😀
Snake balloons for the incoming “year of the snake”
It appears to be a cross but I don’t understand the incense near it…
…and there are candles as well
 Lots of people for the festivities  But you definitely know you’re in the Philippines  A dog? 😀  Did I suddenly got lost in the streets of Macau? 😀 |
 Somehow Manila Chinatown kinda  More lucky charms! 😀  I know that this is supposed to be a lion…  What’s Chinese New Year without firecrackers? |
Walking around can make anyone hungry, but unfortunately the places we preferred to eat were already closed at the time so we just settled for what was around.
Time to get some food…
Beef noodles for supper 🙂
After dinner we headed off to the area’s latest development, Lucky Chinatown Mall to watch the fireworks display for the forthcoming Chinese New Year.
One of the latest malls in Manila: Lucky Chinatown Mall. It’s not that big (by Metro Manila’s standards) but it has very nice Chinese-inspired architecture and has nice assortments of Chinese restaurants.
This area of the mall reminds me a bit of Macau
A “Prosperity Tree” greets the visitors to this area of the mall
Like any other New Year celebration elsewhere, a fireworks display was held at the stroke of midnight:
 😎  😛 |
 😀  😉 |
Looking up… 
Whether you’re Chinese or not, I wish everyone would achieve their goals this year! 恭喜發財 😀
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