So who’s gonna break out the funny hats tomorrow night? We’re anticipating a horrific night of fireworks, because as of January 1, 2011 a whole lot of the things become illegal:

When the new law takes effect Sunday:
1. Consumers may still purchase firecrackers for use on New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year Day, Independence Day and for cultural uses. All other consumer fireworks, including sparklers, fountains and “paperless” fireworks, are banned from sale, purchase or use.
2. Consumers must still apply for a permit for firecrackers. They will be able to buy $25 permits for every 5,000 firecrackers purchased and be able to purchase as many permits as they want. But the new law requires they must be purchased no later than 10 days before firecrackers’ use.
3. Only adults will be able to set off firecrackers. That is a change from the current law, which allows people under 18 to set off fireworks under adult supervision.

This was the City Council showing its courage (not). Firecrackers are the biggest smoke generators, at least in my neighborhood, and the most ubiquitous of all the possible fireworks. But the Council bravely took away little kids’ sparklers rather than ban the noisiest and most dangerous item in the whole catalog. It’s not the fountains and sparklers which take people’s fingers off, it’s the explosives.
Way to go, City Council. You bowed to the fireworks merchants and the phony cultural warriors who maintain that the things are an important part of Chinese culture and shouldn’t be taken away.