Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-10-16
JOss-FFOuse Celebration of His
Birth day


Yesterday. in the Chinese ioss-house sit
uated on a blind alley leading out of Sac
ramento street, Just below Stockton, was
celebrated the birthday anniversary of
joss HO Woo Ben. Great must have been
the spiritual perturbation of Mr.. HO, the
gentleman having been dead 5000 years,
for the sounds and odors produced in the
rites of commemoratiOn were peculiar,
manifold and awful. The joss-house, a
rickety wooden concern. was dimly light
ed with lamps and candles and filled with
the smoke of burning powders. Suspend
ed from the roof on three sides of the
main hall were shelves filled with craven
images of lurid hues and fantastic shapes.
They were of all sizes, and NAV possibly
have represented the lamented HO at diff
feTent periods of his existence. The cere-
monies, which continued for three days,
were being performed by six priests. or
high Low COOns, and two assistants. The
COOns, strangely enough called Glow, 3"
though ''high' also, were too solemn to
suggest in themselves the game called to
mind by their titles. Three were dressed
in red silken robes, and moved from i'm
age to image, chanting in baTbaric dis
cord, while the other three, dressed in
black, followed behind. their portion of
the ceremony being to bow loWIy when
the wall of the chanteTs in its rising ca
denza reached the turning point. One of
the assistants frantically beat a small tom
tom, and the other grew purple in his eff
forts to OutdO the tOm-tOm man with a
tuneful fsh-horn.
While these unintelligible services were
being conducted in the main hall uD
stairs, in a kitchen below was carried on
a more easily comprehensive branch of the
ceremony. In huge caldrOn, over an
open fire, watched and stirred by
strangely arTayed Chinaman, was an un-
n T0iR
dried shrimps, and smoked pork entrails.
Chinese girls with green trousers and
briCk-red pinafOres, came to the decOctOr
of this ChOwder, and had pals of closely
knit bamboo filled with this stuff, this Of
fering of ''gOOd things being imposed
upon his followers forever by the gcuer-
Gus departed, HO Woo Ben. The mash is
called kOingbO, and is greatly esteemed as
relish by the Chinese, to be eaten with
rice. In the alley in front of the joss
house, guarding either side of the en-
trance, were two gigantic images. One,
ferOciOus looking object, held in one
hand a red paper dagger, and had one foot
placed on the yielding back of a tissue
paper lion, casting his eyes down con-
temptuOusly on plate of rice and pork
placed at the foot of the pedestal which
bore him. The other image was of
more peaceful makeup. 1t appeared to
view with beniguity its vast eXpanse of
SOIo lcttl IOIulIulIH anu it6Iu Dy one manu-
fan, and in the other something which
might have been a wreath, or the rim of
silk tile, suggesting the possibility of
the original which it represented having
been engaged i'll the pursuit of old hat
mending. These brave and gcorgeOusly
arrayed images were surrounded by All
admiring throne of Chinese, who were
moved to delight when the red-shirted
low cOons and the purple faced blower of
the fish-hOrn made their appearance aud
chanted, bowed and renewed the supply
of rice and pork at the images feet.-San
Francisco Chronicle.