Harmony in Frenzy

The leaping dragon appeared from the distance. Flames burst forth from its mouth. It moved like a meandering river on steroids. I was mesmerized. Not so much by the dragon fashioned out of yellow and red plastic but by its life force; the perfectly synchronized movements of men dancing in unison underneath the dragon to hold it up.
The squeaky clean streets with only occasional CCTV cameras for decoration had undergone a transformation. Twinkling fairy lights hung on trees. There were rabbits everywhere; giant inflatables in the air, in the shop windows, hoardings on the streets, even imprinted on chopsticks. Larger than life carrot balloons dwarfed the skyline. Singapore was dressed for Lunar New Year celebrations.
Being Indian, I was no stranger to crowds, but that night as the crowd jostled, I had no control of my movements. The crowd steered me in its direction. The sweet scent in the air, wafting from the food stalls, with a whiff of pineapple tart mixed with the freshness of mandarin oranges, was almost overpowered by the stench of sweat of multitudes of people. A drum beat in the distance, thrumming louder as we advanced. It was drowned by a loud cheer which erupted for the dancing dragon.
Then, there were other performances. Acrobatic dancers flinging their batons, elderly ‘aunties’ in shiny costumes jiggling to their best, fire eating Chinese ladies with brazen stunts and brawny motorcyclists in mind-boggling formations. The dragon paled in comparison to their liveliness and magnetic energy. The performers’ excitement was palpable, transporting me into each of their worlds. As the parade ended, there was an unnatural silence. The air crackled with anticipation. Suddenly, we were surrounded by golden confetti and red balloons.
My trance was broken as an odor of decay (reminiscent of sulfur and ammonia from science labs) enveloped me. An old man jerked my arm and bent uncomfortably close to me. “Zhu Ni Haoyun”, he whispered into my ear, thrusting a large lantern in my hand. He wildly gesticulated upwards. Confused, I tried giving it back. He resisted. Then I saw it. Thousands of glowing red paper lanterns rising up against the bluish grey night sky. I raised my hands and let go, my lantern floating to join the rest.
When I looked down, he stood munching on a preserved Chinese egg with a toothless grin. Only the next day did I realize that, I had received blessings of good luck. The following Year of the Rabbit was the most eventful year of my life.