Local Firework Displays
Local firework displays have always been a great attraction. Ever since their invention by the Chinese, every civilization that has come in touch with them has adopted them. They have been used for centuries in both religious and civic ceremonies, because they can turn any event in a spectacle that leaves any audience in awe. Can you imagine a fourth of July without local firework displays? It’s hard, isn’t it?
I remember when I was a child, my mother would take me and my brother to the main square to watch the local firework displays. There were many religious festivals in our area, so it happened quite often. However, to me, after watching the local firework displays, it seemed an eternity to wait for the next ones. Well, that’s kids for you.
In any case, local firework displays for us were like magic; something pretty, beautiful and amazing that we couldn’t explain otherwise. After the mechanical rides, fireworks were our favorite part.
I remember that I wasn’t the only one; all the kids in the block would look at them and gasp. Sometimes, one of them will seem like it would fall on the ground. They never did, but it set us all on a wild race to try to catch it. Of course, it always burnt before it hit the ground.
I also admired the guy who lighted them. In my town, it was an old man, and he would light them with his cigarette. He would place the fireworks in a metallic structure, like a pipe, aim them, and then he’d just poke at the fuse with his cigarette. The fuse would fuzz and emit tons of mini sparkles and then the firework would fly to the sky, where it would explode in a million particles of multiple colors.
When I grew up, I didn’t lose my interest in local firework displays. When I met a girl I liked, I always invited her to watch the local firework displays with me. It provided me with an excellent excuse to take her to a romantic setting. In addition, we didn’t need to talk. This was specially useful when I was too shy or nervous to think up something to talk about. And if I still couldn’t find something to talk about afterwards, we could always talk about the local firework displays.
I’m an adult now, and it’s my turn to take my children to see the local firework displays whenever there’s a religious or civil event. One of them loves them as much as I did, while the other prefers to play with his gameboy. I still enjoy them, and although I don’t run to catch them as they fall anymore, as I used to, it makes me remember the time when I did and when I thought they were magic.
