Happy Solstice OF!

Yea, some serious swamp-ass right now even with the AC blasting, figured it must be about the right time for it.

On a side note. My trip to China was timed to be here on the solstice to attend the burial service of someone we knew well. It seems the majority of China still waits to bury those who passed away during the year on the winter solstice. To ease things up a bit they allow three days before and after the solstice but I’ll be darned it seems the majority of people in this city waited till the 21st. For traffic think the biggest football game and concert you went to and multiply it by a couple 100.

You gotta get up at 4a if you want to have a chance at finding parking. The service is kinda brief and simple. Sometimes you light incense give three bows of respect. The funky part is a week prior to the solstice many travel and visit tombs of ancestors. These can be Indian jones type trips as some old tombs are in mountainous areas some bamboo hacking needs to be done.

I was just amazed the tradition remains keeping in mind the population of China. But I don’t have a clear idea if the entire country does this. I am hearing yes the whole country does but I have not been able to ask all billion plus people yet so I don’t have all the factoids