BEIJING — Chinese residents normally ring in the start of the New Year with fireworks, lanterns, balloons, food, and family time. But this year, the …
BEIJING — Chinese residents normally ring in the start of the New Year with fireworks, lanterns, balloons, food, and family time. But this year, the holiday is very different. While Tuesday marked the official beginning of the two-week long Lunar New Year in China and the start of the Year of the Tiger, thousands of locals working and volunteering at the Beijing Olympics are celebrating in a new way. Due to the Olympics strict COVID bubble, instead of spending time with family, they are sharing their traditions with scores of foreign athletes, media, and other Olympics personnel locked within the closed loop system alongside them. In this system, people at the Games are completely restricted from stepping foot outside of designated Olympics spaces. The streets of Beijing, which is out of reach for athletes and other Games personnel, were decorated with Chinese red lanterns and other traditional symbols for the holiday.
