The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-02-23
MANKATo FREE Press.
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 90, 1883.
A Chinese New Years Celebration.

A writer in the 50. Nicholas for Jan
uary says: The Chinese New Years
Day in 1882 fell on the 18th Of Febru-
ary They have week of holidays ut
their New Year. just rs we do between
January.
In the cities they make fine display
of fireworks, but some of the Chinese
people in Santa Barbara are rich, 80
there were no fireworks, except crack
ers; but there were barrels and barrels
full of these, and the Chinese boys do
not fire off crackers OH their NewYear's
Day IA American boys do. n cracker at
time, or one package ut time; they
bring out u large box full, and fire
them off, package after package. rs fast
rs thcy can. till the air is a. fall Of
smoke as if there were lire, and the
ground il covered with red, haif-burncd
ends.
Long before We reached the part OF
the town where most of the Chinese
live we heard the noise of the crackers
going oil, but the Chinese did not seem
about in the smoke. pouring the crack
ers out ON the ground. box after box,
barrel after barrel. Y OH could not see their
faces clearly for the smoke. Groupsof
American boys stood rs near rs they
dared, looking on. Now and then one
would dart in and snatch up one crack
er, or u string Of them, which had not
gone of
thought the American boys had al
most rs much fun out of il rs the Chi
nesc.
Every Chinese family keeps open
house on New Years Day. They set
up Il picture or an image of their god in
some prominent place, and on table
in front of this they put little Toast OF
good things To eat. Some are for IN
offering To the god. and some arc for
their friends who call.
Ii was amusing to watch the Ameri-
can boys darling about from shop To
shop and house To house, coming out
with their hands full Of queer Chinese
things to eat, showing them to each 9th
or. aud comparing notes.
''Oh, let me taste that" one boy
would cNclaim. on seeing some new
thing; and. "Wherr did you get it?
Which house gives lhatp' Then the
whole party would race of to make u
descent on that house, and get some
more. | thought it wonderfully hospi-
table on the part of the Chinese people
| to let all these American boys run in
and out of their houses in that way and
! help themselves from the New Years
| feast.
! Some of the bows were very rude and
! ill-maunered-litt better than street
bcggars, but the Chinese were polite
| and generous to them all.
In some of the stores there were men
playing game which has been played.
, under different names, all over the
world. 1t consists simply in one man
| holding ont his hand, with part of the
fingers closed and part open, and his
antagonist calling out instantly how
many of his fingers are open. One would
! think nothing could be easier than this.
! But when the movements are made rap
I idly it is next to impossible to call out
the number quickly without making -
mistake. For every mistake a fine of
| some sort. according TO the agreement
of the players, is to be paid. These Chi
nese men played it with such vehemence
that the perspiration stood oil their fore
heads, and their shrill crying out of the
numbers sounded like unbroken sen
fences; there did not seem breath be-
tween them. They rested their elbows
! OH the table. and, with every opening
of the fingers. thrust the forearm for
ward toits full length, so there was vio-
lent exercise in it,