Traditionally, I hate New Year’s Eve. I’ve had enough specifically bad eve’s, and enough non-descript eve’s that the night has rarely meant a whole lot to me.
Yet, if you’d told me last year, that I’d be sitting on a balcony in Honolulu a year later, I’d have removed you from your beverage of choice.
And yet, here I sit, on the balcony of our temporary housing, looking out at Uptown Honolulu, and beyond, as although the night is somewhat cloudy, fireworks are abundant here, and they do tend to cut through the fog.
I went to the grocery store with the wife and kids today after we picker her up from work. It turns out that, in several of the grocery stores here, you can purchase your fireworks, meat, milk, bread, and wine, all in the same place. And they have been purchased. In abundance.
We are on the 17th floor of our building, and so we get a nice view of both the street level revelers, and those in the distance. For the moment, there are no “official” fireworks in the city, but I see plumes popping up from all over Honolulu. I can even see some of the smaller communities up on the mountain, where I can only see one or two home lights on, firing off fireworks right from their homes. They are the only lights visible, so I know that it’s very much like my Uncle lighting them off when I was a kid in his backyard.
Its 11:47 now and business has picked up. There are several blocks here in Honolulu competing for the best show. I will admit that the effect to this moment is not as exciting as NYC or Penns Landing in Philly for sure volume, but knowing that each plume here, and the incessant firecrackers since 7pm, each come from one family, or at least one community that is spouting off their New Year’s Cheer, is somewhat new, and it is in many ways like watching neighbors compete in a holiday light contest….except that I can see them compete all at once-here is a plume from King Street, and here is one from Nu’uanu Street. The Kids downstairs on Ala Wai are doing mostly sparklers, but they are trying.
The sound of firecrackers has been constant since 7pm local time here, which was midnight EST. I find that interesting, but with 7 minutes left to go, who know what we will end up seeing here. I know that many Asian cultures invoke the firecracker at New Year’s to drive away Evil Spirits, and if that be true, this city is fine…
Whoa did it kick into gear at 11:57. Constant firecrackers and M80’s. I can see the flashes and smell the smoke from all over the city.
12:12 AM. Wow-I think they know how to do it here. From our balcony, I can see not only Honolulu, but the Mountain towns in the far distance, and there are flashes, and colors, and booms in every direction. I only figured out just now that one series of firecrackers that I thought was done a while back was in fact a string that is continuing to run down a very long side street to the east of our balcony. It’s been running so long that the smoke alone is noticeable, if not the 45 minute constant cracking.
What was great about this is that to my understanding, these are all private people firing off their New Year’s cheer and hopes.
It’s been amazing and my hope is that my year can be as exciting as this display. Maybe they are more excited than normal as UH plays in the Sugar Bowl tomorrow, but I think, based on the fact that fireworks were available and cheap, people here are just firing off what they feel.
Here’s hoping I feel that way a year from now. Last year, most of us fell asleep watching the “Rockin Eve.” The wife and the kids seem to have slept through this whole fireworks onslaught. I am wide awake and so is most of this city.
I think this is a good omen, as I typically hate New Years. My family slept through this, but I think it was a pretty awesome welcome to 2008.
So, bring it on. If you'd told me a year ago I'd be here now, I'd have questioned your imbibing. And yet, here we are.
There, but for the Grace of God.
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