firecrackers & cny before 1972

when the letting off of fireworks was completely banned in august 1972, it seemed like a part of the festive mood was extinguished. those of us who grew up during the pre-fireworks ban era found it hard, initially, to accept chinese new year without the noise, smoke, smell and red carpet of shredded paper that wrapped the low explosives.

the chinese believed that the lighting of firecrackers scared off evil spirits and attracted the god of wealth to their doorsteps. so, to welcome the lunar new year, on the eve and to send off the new year, on the 15th day, there were firecracker wars all over the island. throughout the other fifteen days of celebration, there would be sporadic firing of crackers.

shop-owners on the same side of the street or on opposite side would try and outdo and outlast each other by firing more packets of firecrackers than their competitor. sometimes, there could be more than two or three businessmen joining in the fray, especially in the business area of north bridge road.

the firecrackers were stringed together into a long chain, sometimes a few storeys long, and then fired. at the same time or following that, packets of firecrackers would be lighted and thrown onto the road outside the shop.

when the 'firing' stopped, the spectators, especially children, would rush into the pile of shredded papers to hunt for unexploded sticks or packets of firecrackers.

the start of the chinese new year was signalled by the lighting of firecrackers at the stroke of midnight on new year's eve.