Yup, this morning I saw lots of burning bins all over the estate. I had peeked out of my window last night but saw no bins in the vicinity. But the smoke carries. Last night my eyes stung all night and my nose was runny. Poor Jack also got the sniffles when the burning began so I think he might have inherited my sensitive nose. Dang.

I guess it is a Chinese New Year tradition to burn paper (although I don't quite know why on day 7).

When she went to buy the joss paper for her ancestors, a Bo Wah clerk gave her detailed instructions. "You get a brass pot of red and gold and you take it outside,'' she said. "You get a red candle and light it and pray and then you light the joss and put it in the brass pot to burn. And you let the candle burn until it goes out.''

(Source: SFgate)

It's raining today so I figure there won't be any burning, which is a relief for baby, the 5 cats, and I tonight. But if it clears, I'm going to shut all windows and doors tight tonight and turn on the air purifier to high so hopefully we'll get a better sleep.

Technorati: Chinese New Year customs, burning bins, runny nose, stinging eyes