When I was growing up, we were given hard boiled eggs to eat and play with. We would weave individual satchels out of colorful yarns for the eggs. We were also given herb sachets to ward off bugs for the upcoming summer. Since I grew up in Shanghai before bathroom scales, we headed off to the scale vendor around the corner to get ourselves weighed.
The egg eating & children weighing traditions stem from days before air condition and refrigeration when the hot summer made people loose weight due to lost of appetite and increased stomach flu. In fact, my father-in-law has a theory that Americans are fat because of air condition :(
Earlier today we headed out to the nearby Longhua Temple Fair and caught some of the children weighing and egg action.
Two kids with eggs around their necks.
The weighing ceremony (1 RMB). A girl with pigtails is on the scale (lower middle right)
And finally, it's not a fair without a Midway.
And additionally, last night we went over to my parent's and I made "egg holders" for my nephews. You really need colorful yarn, but all I could find was string. John was amazed that I remembered how to make them.
In this photo, Ian (at left) has his egg around his neck. Ethan (at right) has a New Year's ornament around his neck.
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