Shotgun wedding
On Sunday, I trekked all over Changsha (Hunan's capital city of about 5 million people) -- up and down the sprawling main road, over the half-mile wide Chiang Jiang (Chang River), up to Hunan Normal University, and back.
Early in the walk, there was a very loud explosion -- pop, pop, pop, pop, etc. -- similar to that made when many bricks of BlackCat fireworks are lit. This on the main avenue, with thousands of people on the street. Strangely, only I seemed to notice this two-minute long explosion. Surely, there must be a tragedy -- a fireworks factory caught fire, perhaps, or an electrical disaster.
Massive plumes of smoke started pouring out the doors of a two-story building across the street. Within seconds, a mass of people rushed out the doors, shrouded in smoke. Yes, I thought, this is serious.
And, shortly following the first mass of people, emerged a beaming man, dressed in a black tuxedo, carrying his bride in his arms. And the crowd cheered, tossed rice, sang songs.
Apparently, blowing stuff up signals new beginnings -- an explosion to announce the occasion and to "drive away the evil spirits." My friend Rauol, another American teacher here, tells me that such explosions occur all the time, when a new store opens, when an event begins or, as on Sunday, when the groom first kisses the bride.
It's only greenhorns like me who bother to notice stuff blowing up around us, and thank God for it -- spontaneous explosions are not to go unappreciated. I quickly snapped a few photos of the bride and groom emerging from the smoky cloud. Freakin brilliant!
