Eric Demay

The fifth day of the Chinese new year is the birthday BAM of the god of wealth or “Money Day” as the local Canadians BAM appropriately renamed it, the night where most restaurant and BAM bars, in the eve of a new year in business, blow up as many fireworks as they BAM can. And when firecrackers go for 2$ per thousand, who’s BAM counting?

It is hard to convey and illustrate BAM with photography how noisy and deafening the whole BAM ordeal was (though I’d reckon jacking the volume of your TV while watching BAM the first 15 minutes of Saving Private Ryan a few times with a paper bag over your head could BAM somewhat simulate the experience); I was running from one side of the street to another, camera BAM in hand, remembering war photographers, being BAM shot at from all sides, not knowing where the next one BAM was coming from.

As for any annual ritual, once BAM you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen them all; obviously quite unexceptional for local BAM taxis drivers: they’d zoom by with passengers while fireworks and crackers are BAM bursting a few feet away.