The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-04-07
SPRING AND CHINESE.

They Honor Their Dead Before They Piow
Their Ground for Seeding-The Dead
Never Return, but Their Seed Come up,
bud, Bloom and Hear Fruit.
Sunday, April /, is the 18th day of the
second moon Of the Cinnamon, and 1t is
their national holly day, in as much as ii is
the day fixed by their astronomers, thous-
ands of years ago, as the day upon which
to plow the field and SOW the seed of grains
the opening of the spring. The emperor
Of China, il is said, upon this particular
day dons the garment Of farmer and rolls
up his sleeves and plunees into the mystic
ries of husbandry, with all the spirit of
true industry. Ito show his subjects how TO
work.. This is the day when universal
husbandry is declared open; from now
until fall not an inch OF valuable soil is to
be left untitled
Aud this is also the day TO invoke bless
ings from supreme heaven that He may
prosper and protect all their humble Efforts;
ana this is the day when the departed
friends are generously remembered by
those who are still this side of
the BLACK Sea-" Their spirits are in
yoked by those to aid them by their inilu-
ence over the Gods over the other side
Thus the Chinese here to-day made grand
and expensive preparations TO celebrate the
spring holly day and decorations of the
graves Of their dead, this preparation hay
ing been in progress by many ever since
Saturday; and consequently by II a. m.
this yesterday morning they were ready
for business.
A dozen or so carriages were called in
front OF luet Sings & Co., Chinese grocery
store, 20i Chatham street at II o'clock this
morning, and seeing which your cores
pondent Immediately secured similar
riding machine himself, when the whole
procession slowly and mournlully wandered
their way down to foot of Catherine street,
there to take the ferry to Brooklyn thence to
River Green cemetery, amid crowds of awe.
struck lookers-on, wondering what all thai,
meant, for as one of them expressed. lit
neither looked like funeral procession nor
a political strike Of the Sixth ward " There
was no hearse Mt the head except huge,
well loaded two-hOrse wagon carried roasted
pigs chickens and countless other highly
seasoned and aromatiCal deiCaCes of orr
entail designs; which TO an unknown OBJ
server it would have been taken for q camp
meeting or picnics getting up.
On our arrival at the destination of this
gorgeous religious celebration, about 200
Cinnamon were already there, who had
evidently got ahead OF us from other parts
OF Chinatown, to participate in the ser
vices
The wagon was quietly unladen by a
dozen or 30 neatly attired Cinnamon, for
man appeared in his best, to present them
selves before the gods and the spirits of
their friends only once year. The
expensive viands were then carefully
spread before the grave Of each dead friend.
Deiore the freshly made graves of the two
MoS brothers, who had lately died in this
city, were spread sumptuous feast of one
whole roasted pig, weighing ut least 100
pounds, besides dozens of roasted fowls,
about sevcnty-iive pounds of various kinds
OF cakes, sweet meats. imported from China,
wines and teas.
For a moment all was silent; when Mr..
uet Sing-the head of the firm of Yuct
sing Co., venerable looking old gentle
man OF small stature, slowly advanced
taking hold of u bunch of Curiously cut
yellowish paper in one hand and lit il by u
burning candle and threw 1t before the
itVaStSu lle, etc. ANA Immediately he
lights Il bunch of joss sticks of fragrant
odor; after gracefully making three salu-
tary bows he sticks one end of which into
the ground near the spot of the burning
paper, and falls Immediately upon his
knees and began by bowing very low while
IN that position until his forward nearly
touched the ground, three times. And an
attendant hands him small cup OF wine
which, after he made the usually sautarv
bows, he with swaying motion poured il
upon tho ground, and again he bows three
LINES. Then the hosts of other attendants.
friends of the departed, came one by one
10 do homage and respect TO their dead
friends. Aiterward the viands nre again
gathered and brought back home in the
same wagon, when n general feast will be
given among themselves.--[N. Y. Sun, by
All Waig.