The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-11-04
The Chinese Feast Of the Dead at San
Francisco.

The Chinese autumnal festival over
the dead of their race, which commenced
on Sunday week, says the San Francis
co Bulletin, reached its most interesting
point last Thursday. From daylight
until noon the road to Lone Mountain
was literally alive with pedestrians and
express wagons, packed with the elite
and rabble of Chinatown, roasted hogs
and every description of Chinese prOyi-
siOnS. The old trick of the Hibernian
eXpressman of occasionally capsizing
vehicle and mixing pigtails and pork in
an uncomfortable mass, was, in two
cases, successfully tried. One of the We
hicles chartered and loaded by Nine.
lie ChOng and eight rosy-cheeked chat
tells, hilarious with expectation of day
of rest, in endeavoring to weather the
corner of Dupont and Geary Streets,
alighted in an unceremOnious manner,
and the madam sustained some severe
bruises, to Judge by the play of her
tongue and the shake of her fist at the
horse, cart, and driver. They, however,
climbed in again, and, hanging on by
teeth and tOe-nail, went off at three
minute gait, to the great amusement of
the spectators.
By II o'clock in the morning, the
wooden altar, near the center of the
cemetery, was surrounded by large
heather band, and liberal store of fish,
flesh, and fowl, not to mention stacks of
cakes and candies. On one side of the
altar, if so it might be called, was Il
large stove, over which a prominent
functiOnary busted himself making tea
for the entire crowd. joss sticks were
burning upon the altar, and on three
sides candles burned, illuminating the
figures of three deities-the one on the
west representing what answers in their
theology to our devil, and whom they
evidently think it necessary to propitiate
before proceeding with their worship
over the individual graves. Toward the
east, or rising sun, another less hideouS
figure, representing the mighty spirit of
Good and on the south an insignificant,
goOd-natured, porcelain image, repre-
senting some local spiritual functiOnary.
Provisions were heaped before all of
these figures, and an incantatiOn per-
formed before them, severally, by three
orifour men, after which, to the horrible
music of a small Celestial band, they re-
paired to the individual graves, the re-
lations of the deceased at each tomb
taking a principal part.
The Oldest female relative Gf there
were any females presenD danced
about the grave several times, as though
stung by a hornet, descanting on the
virtues of the departed. After this she
deposited on the grave narrow strips of
yellow paper (yellOw being the imperi-
al COLOR, and upon this the provisions
brought by the relatives were placed, if
relatives were present. If they were
not, the spirit of the person had to be
contented with slices of the hogs which
had been brought out for that purpose.
The male relative then poured some
wine on the grave; the priest stuck sp
some lighted Joss sticks and muttered
and doubled himself up, and then the
fantastic procession passed to another
grave. A few individuals, who indulged
in the meantime in quiet smoke, were
stationed at tdifferentpointSi in the cemete
ry to protect the altar and visited graves
and engage the hooodlums, who seemed
imbued with the idea that the ceremo-
nieS were instituted solely for their
amusement. Two policemen had been
chartered for the occasion, but not be-
ing omnipresent, the playful denizenS
of Tar Flat had many a sly shot at poor
John, and in one instance struck the
arch fiend at the altar with big rock,
upon which he bit the dust amid the
simple but plaintive wailings of the
heather and the triumphant growing of
the hoodlums, who seemed elated at
the thought of cobble-StOning the devil
with success.
After visiting as many graves as
practicable, in accordance with the re-
quirementS of a Celestial day of labor,
the assembly met at the altar and en-
joyed simple collation. of grilled cat,
chow-chow, and cold tea, during which
time the ladies reposed under parasols,
which protected them from the suns
rays and cObble-stOnes. At the end of
the frugal and recherche banquet they
gathered up the provisions, that there
might he no free lunch at the expense of
the nation, scrambled into their express
wagons, and returned to their firesides
a little faster than was compatible with
the solemnity of the occasion and the
safety of their persons.