Chapter 598 New Year
In the blink of an eye, it’s the New Year in East Africa.
"call out……"
In the central square of the First Town, neatly arranged fireworks were lit one after another, and then bloomed instantly in the dark sky. Many citizens and their families gathered together to enjoy the gorgeous fireworks.
The first town without industrial pollution, the sky is very pure, the stars are brilliant, and the fireworks blend into the deep sky with the stars, making it a feast for the eyes.
The only regret is that there is no sound of firecrackers, so the atmosphere effect is still a bit poor. However, for East African people whose lives are relatively monotonous, it is satisfying enough to enjoy the fireworks in the New Year.
"This is the first time I have seen a fireworks show during the Chinese New Year in East Africa. It seems that the country's economic development is getting better and better. In the past, East Africa lacked everything, but now there are more varieties!"
European fireworks technology was introduced from the Far East during the Mongol Empire's Western Expedition, and quickly became popular in Europe. Production began in Italy in the 16th century. After hundreds of years of development, it is not unusual.
The history of fireworks production in East Africa is very short. It was only introduced in 1878. After two years of development, it began to take shape. This is why many old immigrants sighed after watching the fireworks show.
There is only one fireworks factory in East Africa, built in Mbeya City, because fireworks are not widely used in East Africa. Apart from government procurement, almost no private people buy them, and fireworks are generally only used during festivals and celebrations. Useful for times like that.
Therefore, there is only one factory in Mbeya City, but it supplies the fireworks demand across East Africa. If the fireworks industry is to be developed, unless residents' incomes increase or East Africa relaxes economic controls.
Tonight, dozens of cities in East Africa held fireworks displays, including First Town, Soga, Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Mombasa, Mbeya, and Nairobi , Harare... All relatively powerful cities in East Africa have fireworks shows.
The more powerful cities in East Africa are, first of all, the capital, provincial capitals, and cities with relatively developed economies.
These cities have prepared fireworks in advance. Mbeya is located in a relatively central location in East Africa and is an important transportation hub, so supply is also convenient.
As for cities and villages that are not strong enough, there are also related celebrations organized by the people and the government. Of course, most of them are family reunions for New Year's Eve dinner. There are more mixed-race families in East Africa, so the New Year is celebrated in style.
Compared with Christmas five days ago, New Year's Day seems more festive and lively, and it is easier to release the stress of the whole year.
This is easy to understand. Christmas is a religious holiday, and religious believers in the 19th century were relatively devout, so the Christmas atmosphere was more solemn.
It is worth mentioning that the East African New Year holiday and Christmas are consecutive. Because East Africa does not have obvious four seasons, East African officials regard January 1st of the Gregorian calendar as the New Year.
In the West, Christmas is the most representative and important festival, while in the Far Eastern Empire it is the Spring Festival. There is no spring in East Africa, so the Chinese Spring Festival became the New Year. However, later generations of the Far Eastern Empire also had the translation habit of calling the East African New Year the "East African Spring Festival" , although the time is different, the connotation has not changed.
The happiest people during the New Year holiday should be the students in East Africa. Because it is summer in most parts of East Africa at this time, the winter vacation in the Far Eastern Empire becomes summer vacation in East Africa. In addition, a small half of East Africa's land is north of the equator, and it becomes winter vacation again. .
Regional differences make the East African New Year very special, but generally the East African government still formulates and establishes the New Year time in accordance with the traditions of immigrants.
For example, the New Year in the Abyssinian Empire is very different from that in East Africa. Its New Year falls during the transition period between the rainy season and the dry season, which is September.
East Africa cannot learn from the Abyssinian Empire, because the geographical environment of East Africa is too special. The rainy season times are different across the country, and the seasons are even different due to the distribution of the country.
For example, Tanganyika has two rainy seasons. The temperatures in the East African plateau and the plains are inconsistent. In some high-altitude places, the temperature can even reach zero degrees in winter, so you need to wear cotton-padded clothes to survive the winter.
Of course, the so-called winter in most parts of East Africa usually falls in June and July, and overlaps with the dry season. The lowest temperature is at night, so it will feel relatively dry and cold, but you will not freeze to death.
The royal family also followed the local customs. The Ernst family, father-in-law, mother-in-law and Prince Carl celebrated the New Year at the palace. The New Year's Eve dinner was very sumptuous, with as many as 100 kinds of dishes.
In particular, Chinese food is the mainstay, with a wide variety of styles and flavors. As for German food, it is more supported by sausages. Various German specialty flavor sausages support the brand of German food.
However, European aristocrats highly admire French food, so gorgeous French food is indispensable on the royal family’s dining table.
Ernst described it as gorgeous, not taste, because many French foods are sweet, which is not in line with Ernst's eating habits, but Constantine and others like to eat them.
The bright lights of the Svet Palace and the First Town have put considerable pressure on East Africa's power supply system.
Of course, the power in the Svet Palace was always uninterrupted at night, but today basically all the lights in the rooms and halls were turned on.
Naturally, the common people cannot be as luxurious as the royal family, but they have also prepared a lot of annual goods to reward a hard year's hard work.
With the construction of railways and roads, commodities and specialties from many regions, and even imported products from abroad, are more likely to appear in East African stores. Therefore, the currency in the hands of East African citizens is becoming more and more valuable due to the diversification of options.
For example, meat was in large supply in 1880. This was due to the great development of animal husbandry in East Africa. In particular, the national beef supply increased significantly, and some meat products that were previously rare in East Africa also began to appear, including chicken. Ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, etc.
The diversity of food options is even richer. In addition to common staple foods such as rice, wheat, corn, and soybeans, millet, sorghum, potatoes, etc. are also common. East Africans have many choices when it comes to staple foods.
The same is true for beverages. Coffee, tea, and various types of alcohol have also entered the daily life of ordinary people in East Africa. Currently, tea and coffee in East Africa have been grown on a large scale and there is no problem meeting domestic demand. As for alcohol, various home-brewed fruit wines and There are many grain wines.
Others, such as tobacco, clothing, and various handmade small commodities, are also becoming increasingly abundant, and East Africa's living standards have been comprehensively improved in the fields of food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
This is all due to East Africa's increasingly complete industrial system, which includes not only industry, but also handicrafts, agriculture, and especially the development of traditional handicrafts, which provides East Africa with many indispensable commodity types.
Throughout 1880, work in East Africa was still busy, with various major projects being carried out, industrial layout, inland development, etc., so it is not wrong to say that 1880 was relatively hard.
The whole of East Africa is full of joy, but there are some groups that continue to be ignored, that is, the huge black group in East Africa. The misery in East Africa is not small, but the happiness in East Africa has nothing to do with it.
Amidst the bright lights of thousands of houses in East Africa, black people can only stay in dark shacks and sleep peacefully. However, the East African New Year is not without its benefits to black people. Because many East African citizens are on holiday, projects are temporarily suspended, and black workers can also get a temporary respite.