New Years in Hawaii

New Years is a time for celebrations and parties, in Hawaii this custom is similar to the rest of the United States. But there is something very unique that the local folks in Hawaii do on New Year’s eve, and that is fireworks. Most stores start selling fireworks right after Christmas. The aerials and fountains and other novelty fireworks can be purchased by anyone. Some of the aerials have interesting names such as Tank, King Monster, Morning Glories and Dragon Egg. However the crackers are a different story. You need to be 18 years or older and must have a permit from the city and county in order to buy and play with them. The permit is $25 for 5,000 crackers. And they can only be ignited between 9:00 pm and 1:00 am on New Year's eve. They now sell paperless firecrackers that are eco friendly. I have yet to see how that works but sounds real good to me.

The firecrackers are lit at midnight to bring good luck. According to Asian customs the cracker noise will ward off evil spirits. Personally, I think the smoke and noise is a bit of a nuisance especially for our pets and those with asthma but I guess it’s a special celebration, done once a year, and as long as everyone cleans up their own mess I can’t complain too much.

So Happy New Year everyone and let’s wish for a prosperous 2009 as we light up our firecrackers!