The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-12-23
New fsaf's,Eye In Chinatown

- : : New ,fsaf's,Eve In Chinatswn.i .lls
On the last evening Of the old year.
February g. in the Gregorian calendar
Chinatown . San francisco, presented
busy, bistling, weird air, which plains
: y betokanedI an impending feast Of inn.
portance. The. sign-boards, with their
curious hieroglyphics- s-wen adapted for
decorative. effects -had generally been
repainted and regilded, most Of them
being draped with bright scarlet cotton
eloth4-afayorite material for festooning.
Red is the Chinese festal color, and IS
believed to be oefficacioa1s in keeping
'away3evih spirits and it is not. unusual
to see strands of red silk braided in
children s Queues to prevent them from
being cutoff by malicious spirits. Many
of the shops displayed within and with
out sprigs of kinhwa, or sgolden flow
ers, (which are merely lunches of brass
tinsel wire and foil twined and cut into
horiated forms; these iare principally
used as offerings before the ancestral
tablet and in the temples. The lintels
Of the doors, the windows and blank
spaces on the walls were already COW
cred with new colored papers, princi-
| pally red and orange, of, various Sizes,
on which sentences appropriate to the
season are printed. White paper de-
| note" that Che inmates have lost a. pa-
rent during the past. year; blue. or vel
low signifies q second years mourning
for father or mother; the death nof d
grandparent is indicated by dark car
nation; but the joyous red predomina-
ted and mingled with them were many
red and orange papers stippled with
gold. The advertis boards were
freshly covered with clean notices print
ed in the same style-black characters
| on red ground. The writing on the
papers pasted above and beside the
doors mainly expressed the hope that
the five blessings in which are summed
| up all the clements of human felicity
health. riches, longevity, love of virtue
and natural death-might be the pOrl
ton Of the indwellers. The larger ones
contained such sentences as these:
E May Heaven give happinessp' p'e4' May
I never be without rich customersi'''
Good hope."' "Good will come to
us. ''Love one another. ~ !" Peace be
| lie
May we never be without wisdonlr'
Devout Chinese avail themselves of
this season to settle their accounts with
the, gods, and the walls of the hall and
staircase OF the principal Joss-house
werecovered with colored slips Of paper,
about twelve inches long by four wide,
containing the names of the donors to
the idols. Besides these records OF gen
erOqs fidelity to a national creed, were
scrolls on which were written antithetia
cal sentences referring to the attributes
of some fayorite god. Ornamental tab
lets of wood are also presented by ad-
miring givotaries, and hang from the cell
ings or against the walls of the temples.
Gorgeous lanterns were Suspended in
front Of doors or hung in rows from the
numerous balconies. The flags of the
Consulate, of the Six Companies, of the
several temples, ETC., f1uttered in. the
breeze, and the occasional crackle,
crackle, Of fire-crackers gave warning
of the coming bedlam at midnight, when
gongs, tom-toms (drums), bombs, and
unlimited Quantities Of fre-crackers
were to'unite in driving away all evil
4 spirits from the birth of the new year
/ the 9th of Quong See At nearly every
ssr:.N mlauowlWas Cs 70, pc seen alsn OF sne
elH enolise li Snlngse ~, NY tns narcissus, y
luI oioom: Inc snops dispiayed LADIES
coyeIeu WIN sneln 70 temPt tardy Pur,
cnasefs, ana tne streets were crowded
Mn Mi.n Celestlals, some. carrying 2
nim-l saII eAl : onerlng 20 !Ileno OF OF master'
Iis peiiS nas.enng W MAX nna1 mousse
nolu investments before .sne SHOPS
sLosouLo. su leiopen untlI Inc nIs.
u.ssoS M1o uays u 'no noioay season were
P"sHo isss.I l5sibi.a5 a5
r. AhmPses INTO interiors and down
easements revealed strange sights. The
wnoie % PoPulation appeared 70 nave SUD
.a..ea us nead 20 tne razor, ana an IN
preJuaiced observer, notlng the CON
iofinaaon oi bne Vanions Cninese iore'
ueaus. coulu no1 DgG De impressed py
.ne pnrenoiogical inuicatlons, Suggest
llg n.as0 az 1eas' an a.erage mteingenee.. New
.pLo.nFs wele pelus eAsenslyeIy uonneo
snusu ,s;t mnu t,;s can nos a'loru 20 puIcnase
oa";a ~ '1,s ma Season oolloM. iyr ene ~
Sio,uns nOs oa,sht @ ~ mn,'e s.ocHln leg