Happy New Year!

I wish you all the best in this coming year!  Last night I got to spend the night with my Kazakh family bringing in the New Year.  We celebrate the New Year a bit differently here than we do in the States. 

First of all, it is a chance for families to eat food (lots of it) together.  We sat down for our first meal as 7pm and continued to have more courses (including dessert) until about 1am.  Basically, once we finished cleaning up from one round we would sit down to another.  We ate Pilov (a rice dish), baked chicken, pizza, four salads, bread, two cakes, and candy. 

At 11:50 the President of Kazakhstan comes on TV and gives a speech followed by a toast (at exactly midnight).  Everyone toasts with family and then runs out the door to set off fireworks.  This can be a little scary because everyone (children, adults, and even those that have had a bit too much to drink) have all sorts of different fireworks.  There are no fire department regulations that hold us back here.  Some people have fireworks that can compete with some of the fireworks in 4th of July displays in the States. 

The first year I was here, we went out on the balcony with our sparklers.  Since then, I had not been brave enough (which is saying a lot) to venture outside shortly after midnight.  This year I came to realize that I much prefer being on the ground than being on a balcony for the festivities.  It is better to have rockets shooting over your head rather than whizzing past your year.  We went outside with my two youngest host siblings and shot off some rockets and watched others as well.  There was only one time that I was a bit concerned for my safety and that was when a very short grandmother was holding a firework tube that shot into the air.  The flame seemed to go out, so she brought it down to eye level and it was somewhat pointing in our direction as it shot off.  Thankfully, it remained over our heads (just barely) although the sparks rained down on us.  

It was freezing outside, so we only lasted for about 15 minutes.  Then we came inside, had tea (which means all the food and dessert came out again), and started calling everyone we knew to congratulate them on the New Year.  I don't think I was allowed to go to bed until about 2:30 am.  I had a wonderful time hanging out with my family.  We brought all the food (including the cake) out for breakfast this morning at 12pm.