The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-01-01

day, 10 terrify the evil spirits, On III,
morning OF New YEARS. Day the dan
ger il past, thanksgiving follows, the
theatres are visited, gifts made and
everybody Is happy.
The Persians celebrated the solar
: now year about the middle or toward
the latter end OF March, which Is kept
up for several days, when among other
things they present each other with
vari0usly colored eggs. This festival
IL analogous In It's sacred character
with the ancient Ccmpitalia, mem
TONED 10y Plularoh, IA celebrated by
the Athenians Gebelin says, among
the Persians tho new year Is looked
upon ~ the renewal OF all things, and
IL noted for the triumph Of the sun Of
nature, IA Easter IL with the
Christians for that OF the sun
otiustice, the Savior Of the world, over
death by resurrection. The New Year,
he adds, was celebrated at the vernal
equinox and was known as the Feast
of Eggs, Plowings such M those
which take place in China also form
part Of the Persian rites for this iesti.
val.
The Hindoos begin their year in the
month of April, and the festivities and
religious exercises continue during the
month. Business Is of course stopped,
and on the first day they dedicate
pitchers to their gods aud forefathers.
The tutelar diety is first honored; then
the spiritual fathers, and lastly the
maternal father, or other ancestors.
The idols are carefully washed and the
women most piously wash the COWS
and adore the baman. Each lady
feeds Brahmin aud Invites lady
friend to the house and anoints her
head. New Years glfts are o! flowers.
TRULY CELESTIAL FOR THE MOTHER
IN.LAw THE CHINESE FESTIVAL
occurs when the sun enters the iif-
teenth degree of Aquarinus. 1t was
at first only civil institution, but
time has added q mystical meaning to
it. Ga New Years eve, the goddess
who causes smallpox, fits around and
little children cheat her into the belief
that they are ugly, for ngliness Is u
tailsmanic preventive, by covering
their faces with grotesgue marks.
When the children 60 to sleep, a gourd
is hung up above them, into which the
goddess pours the seeds OF the
disease instead of into the face OF
the sleeping child. This evening,
too, the Chinese Santa Claus makes
his rounds. On New Years Day, at
four or five in the morning, the family
oilers sacrifice to heaven and earth
a table, with five or ten buckets OF
boiled rice, ten bowls OF vegetables, ten
cups of tea and ten of wine, two red
candles, and three sticks Of common
and one of fragrant incense, placed
upon ii, is set in the reception hall OF
the house; two branches Of cedar AMI
ten chop.sticks are placed In the rice
two sheets of mock-mOney gold or
silver are laid over IL; and above ell
this hangs an almanac of the coming
year. Five kinds OF dried fruit are
scattered over the rice, and plate OF
loose.slIinned oranges placed near.
Fire.crackers are then shot oil, the
head OF the family kneeIs down, the
sticks OF incense are lighted, and the
ock.money burned.
Visits are last on the programme and
the husband is bound TO visit his wife's
relatives and make them presents. A
Chinese "callerp before departing is
presented with two or four watermelon
seeds, done up In red paper.
From the first to the fifteenth,
bands OF music go about
playing; children Sing songs in
the streets gambling is prohibited
and many go without meat in honor
Of the gods. During the first week all
tribunals are closed, and for the first
month the games Of the Dragon"
and the "Lion aud the Balp are much
in vogue, in both of which the Celes-
tlal endeavors, by means Of bamboo
covered with cloth aud lighted by
means OF candle inside the supposed
beast, to amuse himself and every
body else In as grotesque manner US
possible.
Among the Japanese the crawflsh,
symbolical Of fecundity, plays an inn
portant part In New Years gifts,
which generally consists Of a rice cake
surmounted by crawilsb, an orange
and artiflclals. This is figurative way
which they have OF wishing happy
New Year-the orange and cabbage,
as well the crawfish, being significant
Of present aud future prosperity. The
Japs believe that when the claws OF
this fish are broken of, the grow anew.
, FAIRIES MOVING DAY AND PROGNos-
TICS.
In Scandinavia and other countries,
there is popular impression that the
. fairies change their places Of abode
once every twelve months, and that
e the DAY selected for this purpose II
= the first day Of the new year. Tn,
!. peasants are very careful at this season
e not to do anything which may In til,
!. least give offense to the invisible PEG
}, pie; on the contrary, offerings Of var