Toy Guns to Welcome the New Year

A few hours from now we will welcome 2013. Noisemaking and revelry is a traditional part of Filipinos' celebration with the belief that the noises would scare evil spirits away. With this in mind, the New Year will be started auspiciously.

Considering the damage brought by firecrackers, it is suggested to use horns or play loud music. In our household, we have toy guns that will produce noise loud enough to contribute to the auditory blast.

The plastic toy gun at the left portion of the picture is labelled "KG-9 PERFORMANCE COMBAT AMMO." Marketed as a "realistic sound blaster," actuating the trigger will produce a "loud rata-tat." On the other hand, the wooden toy gun at the right portion of the picture probably figured in many Filipinos' childhood memories. The protruding portion near the butt is cranked to generate the characteristic sound.