Binondo buzzes with activity the day before Chinese New Year

It's around 9 in the morning and fruit vendors and lucky charm hawkers at the corner of Juan Luna and Meisic streets in Binondo were silenced by a familiar drumbeat. A pair of Chinese lions, gold and red, were dancing inside a surplus shirt shop.



"Masyado pang maaga, bukas pa," a cigarette vendor shouted at the yellow-clad group.

It's January 30, the Lunar New Year's eve. Despite what the manong said, preparing for the revelry ushering in the new year is never too early in this part of Manila, the oldest Chinatown in the world.

One weekend before Chinese New Year, the streets of Binondo were modestly crowded.

Stalls were selling charms. Vendors were selling fruits. Foodies sought hole-in-a-wall places for guilty pleasures at reasonable prices.







Wares for sale were the same, but street cloggers have since changed from cars and tricycles to mostly people, with one or two vehicles stuck in human traffic.

Compare this photo taken January 25:



...with these photos taken January 30:





The syncretism of Binondo was present at the Sto. Cristo de Longgos shrine, a little altar at the corner of Tomas Pinpin and Ongpin.



It was also seen in this mixed display of Chinese charms and Gunpla inside a Feng Shui store in Lucky Chinatown.



The Megaworld mall had its own activities and display for Chinese New Year's eve, with stalls of mixed cuisine lined up for foodies along its Chinatown Walk.



Earlier, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino tinkered with the Prosperity Tree's decorations as he joined Lucky Chinatown mall's kick-off of celebrations.



The Chinese Dragon was also ceremoniously dotted during a program before it was sent off to roam around the mall.





People wrote down their wishes to post on the Wishing Wall, also along Chinatown Walk.







Back in Binondo, the crowd thickened in the cloudy afternoon.





On-the-go vendors were also more noticeable.







Eng Bee Tin, the home of the giant tikoy, had longer lines compared to last weekend. This was for their two branches on the street.





Earlier plans of dragon and lion dances inside and around Binondo were postponed, Manila 3rd district councilor Bernardito Ang announced in a program at Lucky Chinatown.

"I think the MMDA Chairman would agree... It's better for tomorrow since it's a holiday," said Ang, saying that the postponement was to avoid inconvenience for commuters.

Flashes of lion dance and drumbeats in Binondo on January 30 may just be teasers for the actual revelry. But it's still Chinese New Year's eve.

The real party for the Year of the Horse was just about to start. — BM, GMA News