Chinese New Year Banners

The Chinese New Year (the Year of the Rabbit) begins today. Here are celebratory banners on Avenue de Choisy, one of the main thoroughfares in Paris's Chinatown (about ten blocks from our apartment in the 13th). A few firecrackers went off not far away as I took my shots.

Today we received a lovely email from Han, the Chinese student at Mount Holyoke College for whom we are serving as host family (currently in absentia, for better or for worse). She wished us "Happy New Year of Rabbit", and reported that she and her friends celebrated New Year's Eve with the traditional dumplings and spring rolls. She also gratefully noted that "snow angels of Massachusetts" had brought enough snow to close the college for a day-and-a half to permit them to celebrate further.

Looking at the shot I noticed that the dark blue car on the left is from the canton of Vaud in Switzerland--since I spent three years in Switzerland (Grisons) in the 1960s, I have a soft spot for things Swiss.