Chinese New Year celebrations in The Hague
After experiencing the Chinese New Year festivities in Rotterdam, I wondered if I should go see how Chinese New Year is celebrated in The Hague too. As it felt nice to be part of a large group of happy people that are wishing each other the best for the coming year, I went to The Hague last weekend. It was the first time, I went there during Chinese New Year, so I didn't know what to expect.
The market stalls were divided into two places, which made looking around quite comfortable. What makes it different from the market stalls in Rotterdam is that there was a lot more variety in the food offering and there were more places to freely sit down and eat. I even saw market stands which sold bowls of Chinese sweet dessert soups and Hong Kong egg waffles. The affordable street snacks from the Chinese supermarkets Wah Nam Hong and Amazing Oriental were sold here as well. In between the two market stall areas, I also found a cool store that sold all kinds of Chinese cooking ware. If you want, you can even buy a large Chinese roasted duck oven.
There were also large Chinese Zodiac animal lantern statues for you to take selfies with and the dragon and lion dance goes on for quite a long time, so you cannot really miss it.
With all the negativity lately, it was great to hang out with a bunch of friendly and nice people. After visiting the market stalls, I also bought some things at the Marks & Spencer store and the Wah Nam Hong supermarket, where something nice happened. There were some strangers behind me in line and they gave their Chinese New Year discount coupon to me, since they weren't going to spend more than €10 and saw that I didn't have one. Although it is only a small gesture, it really made my day. It made me feel that there are still kind people on this planet and that it is good to pay it forward. I have been doing that my whole life, but sometimes, it makes me feel like a fool as it seems like I am the only one doing it, people don't seem to appreciate it, and I never receive any kindness back. But I got another confirmation that what I have been doing is correct and I will continue to be a "fool", as it is better to help people even if they are conning you or not worth helping (of course, you have to consider if you can take the loss) than not helping someone in need.
The market stalls were divided into two places, which made looking around quite comfortable. What makes it different from the market stalls in Rotterdam is that there was a lot more variety in the food offering and there were more places to freely sit down and eat. I even saw market stands which sold bowls of Chinese sweet dessert soups and Hong Kong egg waffles. The affordable street snacks from the Chinese supermarkets Wah Nam Hong and Amazing Oriental were sold here as well. In between the two market stall areas, I also found a cool store that sold all kinds of Chinese cooking ware. If you want, you can even buy a large Chinese roasted duck oven.
There were also large Chinese Zodiac animal lantern statues for you to take selfies with and the dragon and lion dance goes on for quite a long time, so you cannot really miss it.
With all the negativity lately, it was great to hang out with a bunch of friendly and nice people. After visiting the market stalls, I also bought some things at the Marks & Spencer store and the Wah Nam Hong supermarket, where something nice happened. There were some strangers behind me in line and they gave their Chinese New Year discount coupon to me, since they weren't going to spend more than €10 and saw that I didn't have one. Although it is only a small gesture, it really made my day. It made me feel that there are still kind people on this planet and that it is good to pay it forward. I have been doing that my whole life, but sometimes, it makes me feel like a fool as it seems like I am the only one doing it, people don't seem to appreciate it, and I never receive any kindness back. But I got another confirmation that what I have been doing is correct and I will continue to be a "fool", as it is better to help people even if they are conning you or not worth helping (of course, you have to consider if you can take the loss) than not helping someone in need.
