yesterday was the Chinese New Year celebration, which i spent at V's, whose sister cooked a meal for us. the older brother came to visit as well. both V's parents had passed away and it is the Chinese tradition to honor the memory of the parents by lighting some incense, playing a recording of chants and making an offering in front of their pictures. V asked me if we have similar traditions in our culture. i mentioned that there is the Dia de los Muertos, which is just like the Chinese tomb sweeping day, when relatives clean the tombs of their ancestors. we don't have the same tradition of honoring our deceased relatives. when we get together we relate stories of their lives. when i visit my family i go to my father's tomb and honor him. last night it was snowing and cold, but my heart felt warm. we drank Chinese merlot wine. when i tried it i winced and V explained it's supposed to be a little bitter. we watched the live entertainment spectacle on TV broadcast from Beijing. it brings me comfort that V and her family practice Buddhism, which I practice as well.
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