The end of the year is fast approaching. Actually, only few days to go before the New Year’s Eve and we will then all bid our
goodbyes to 2014. We will finally leave all the sad memories, the heartaches
and other bad things that happened in this year and we will only need to take
happy memories with us in the next year. Though easier said than done, it is
still best if we give it a try, right?
Before we officially bid goodbye to 2014, it is common for
us, especially Filipinos, to welcome the New Year with a bang! And the best and
effective way to do this is to use firecrackers of various types to light up
hours before and during (and even after) the New Year’s Eve. We usually believe
that the louder the noise, the better; the louder the “bang” the more lucky we
will be the following year. This is because of an ancient belief that was
imparted to us by the Chinese which is, “to
let the bad spirits or the bad luck stay away from us, we must disturb them
with loud noises so that they will go away, thus luck will be on our side”.
Even though we do not have scientific basis or explanation for this belief, we
still observe this practice every year – regardless if this is true or not.
Due to the massive and effective campaign of the Department
of Health and other involved private agencies, together with the fast evolution
of technology, various ways have been implemented, especially by the
government, to encourage people to stop using these dangerous firecrackers
during New Year’s Eve to avoid untoward accidents. Parade of Lights, the use of
Sky Lanterns, remote-controlled lighted, flying objects, LASER and other Hi-Tech
innovations are displayed and done to entertain the people and celebrate the
Media Noche with the same enthusiasm and positivity. Locals have even been accustomed
to using kitchenware to make loud noises in lieu of pyrotechnics for their own
safety.
However we celebrate this worldwide event, we must always
keep in mind of the “Safety First” policy and that be responsible for whatever
actions we plan to take so that no one will get hurt in the process. After all,
we are all planning to welcome the New Year with a smile in our faces.
0 comments