Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-11-21
Celestial Feast of the
Dead.
How Chinese Try to Lay up Treas
ures In Hell-Heathen Exer-
.....f aiaoS

= How Chinese Try to Lay up Treas
ures In Hell-Heathen Exer-
} st cises.
Though the Chinese are addic
ted to performing their acts OF
worship in mechanical manner
: aud seldom court public opinions
they nevertheless excite an inter
est among Caucasians, aud the re
curreuGe of each feast or holiday
affords food for fresh comment
Inquiry into their customs, for ir
sIauce, brings out pertinent facts
and We learn that some Of their
barbarisms have actually been in.
ausurated among people who pride
themselves on their civilization,
and affect to look with oisdain
upon the heathen. 1t is a com.
mon thing for The Chine Sc TO hire
Iaourners to follow the hearse or
an express wagon TO the cemetery,
and the charges of such services
are 50 light that comparatively
obscure individual, if not utterly
bankrupt, eau feel certain that the
numerical strength of the turnout
at his funeral will be source of
satisfaction to his relatives at
home. A gentleman who has
served many years in the mission
airy field OF China, says of the
Chinese that instead OF endeavor.
ing to lay mp treasures in heaven
they imagine they can lay up
treasures in hell. The manner
OF laying up tresures of money
and Of clothing in hell for the use
OF deceased relatives. or for ones
future use, is expeditions and very
cheap. 1t consists simply OF burn.
Ing paper prepared in different
ways. ascordlng to the object
which II Is supposed to represent,
and whlch II is believed to become. |
NJ tterial for making clothing is
represented by pieces Of paper OF !
various colors, each piece being
some htteen inches long and eight |
or ten inches wide, There are
done up in parcels, and are be-
sieved to become cloth, silk, etc..
by or after this action of the fire. |
owing 10 the potency of the charm
" hich is attached generally to
each parcel. Sometimes the
shapes Of different kinds Cf oloth.
ing are stamped upon the pieces
Of paper aud afterward burned. !
These are believed to become
ready-made clothing. The spirits
of the dead are expected to manu-.
.acture their own clothing out of
the material furnished them ready.
made. Money is represented by
square pieces of paper. If this
popular notion among the Chinese
lad any founda'ion in truth, the
lumber OF wealthy Celestials in
heir spirit world would be i'm
nen0e. Three times during the
year the dead are treated to a
grand feast, that is, The good things
Ire spread about their resting pla
'es and then disposed Of by the
sconselate friends and relatives.
)le OF these feasts transpired at !
lone Mountain on Sunday, and !
vas marked success. Forty ex.
,resss wagons were used in the
transportation of hogs (the Celes- I
ials, to use an expressive vulgar. :
SIN, go the whole hogon these occa- 9
lOns), chickens, rice and liquor to I
he cemetery, and more than one 6
hundred carriages were in the pro- 3
essior. The firm of Hop Kee 3
Co. alone employed thirty carria- G
,es and several wagons. At the {
cemetery they prOpitiated various f
vii spirits, scattered their hogs I
nd things aronud, jabbered few c
lnurs among themselves and then 6
eturned to tOwn,-San Francisco l
Bulletin. ..@I-t 7@