Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-07-23
CHINESE HOLIDAYS.

| Overwhelming Music and Animated
| Scenes.
In his series in Wide Awake on
"When I was Boy in China Yam
Phon Lee gives the following description
of some of the many holidays in that
country: qaa y,.. 3.
| 1t would be matter of many chap
tiers were / to describe all the holidays
which we have in China The bare
enumeration of them would be as diff
| cult as tedious. In point of fact we
have almost as many holidays and fes-
rivals as there are days in the year.
| Each prominent idol has a birth day,
also an anniversary of his death both of
which are celebrated. There are some
the Goddess of Mercy, for instance
who have half dozen days sacred to
them. There, are number of deities,
| great persons deified, that are common
| to the, nation; while each city, town
| and hamlet has numerous local deities
who are its special protectors.
Extremely lucky it is for the afore-
| said idols that their devotees are natur-
| ally fond of shows, pageantry and dis
| play; otherwise, idolatry would have
| little to attract the multitude. As it is.
millions of dollars are spent in these
| celebrations every year. At the dedi-
cation of temple in Canton, two years
ago, thirty thousand dollars were spent.
AS was present at this really great ex-
hibition, L can give you an idea of it.
| For long time a committee of citizens
| had been collecting subscriptions from
II for nd md &c
| before the completion of the tenn
| the material of which was mainly bam-
boo in the for of poles. mattings and
| slips. Marvellous architectural results
are attained by combining a few
| wooden pillars with the bamboo in
various forms. and soon light and
airy structure looms up in the sky,
which can be seen from great dis
lance. This pavilion is directly in
front of the temple, while smaller ones
are built in vacant lots near by, all
connected with the main building by
| awnings pitched over the streets.
| There is high tower in the middle of
| the great pavilion, on the ceiling of
which curlS a dragon of many colors
| cleaning with innumerable spangles,
through whose mouth rope is dropped
on which is suspended an immense
| chandelier. The latter is finely carved
so far as the body, which is of wood, is
| concerned and for brilliancy of coloring
has no rival in China. 1t is octagonal
and each side throws out four branches,
| which uphold kerosene lamps. The
| centers of each side are cut out, and
| glass inserted, behind which automatic
figures are made to move by clockwork
| The finest effects of this chandelier are
| of course obtained when the lamps are
lighted. Suspended from the roof in
other parts are other chandeliers, less
elaborate and smaller perhaps, but not
less artistic and beautiful. Forests of
pendants are attached to them, so that
on all sides the light is reflected. Then,
in the intervals between the chandeliers,
hang oblong cases, all decorated with
silks and satins, and finely carved. con-
| tanning dolls, about two feet high, ele-
gantly dressed in character, and
| grouped to represent historical scenes
These figures have machinery placed
beneath them to make them shake their
heads, or lift their hands. or SWAY their
bodies, just as the role of each requires.
There are also smaller cases in which
are arranged tableauX from romance of
which the Chinese are very fond
Sometimes a comic tableau is given:
| for instance, in one case are shown a
number of blind men fighting with
bamboo sticks on the street, and as the
blows are dealt blindly and in all d.
rections (by means of the machinery,
the crowd of spectators never fail to
laugh. s5a.5 es.....-! $50.
Flowers of all the kinds which grow
| in the .t'Flowery Kingdom ;, form an
important and pleasing feature of the
entertainment. They are made into
shapes of men or birds, and their de-
| licious odors pervade the whole place.
The walls of the different pavilions are
gaily painted. On them pictures in
water-colors are hung as well as scrolls
bearing the writings of celebrated men.
Under these, are placed in rows, fine
flower pots crowned with the choicest
flowers of the season. Dwarfed trees,
too, are placed beside them.
There are platforms in every good
sized pavilion where the musicians sit
and discourse music for the pleasure of
a most attentive audience. There are,
drums, kettledrums, immense cymbals,
gongs, comets, flutes, castanets, two
stringed fiddles, and don't know what
else besides and when they are sounded
together the effect is Overwhelming on
ears unaccustomed to such strange
| symphonies. The fiutist first blows his
flute, then the cornetist joins with his
toot, and then the kettledrum man
strikes up, which is signal for the
cymbals to clash and the gong to raise
its hoarse cry, while the shrill fiddles
may be distinguished in the din like the
witches voices above the storm in Mac
| beth.
Worse still follows, when the mu-
| sicians turn from instrumental toivocal
music, and one of them gives you a
solo with that falsetto-pitch which is
meant to initiate a female voice.
While the crowd OF people are enjoy
ing the different sights and sounds in
the pavilions, inside the temple various
ceremonies are going on. The temple
| itself, entirely new, is finely decorated
with both permanent and temporary
| ornamentations. Among the first are
| frescoes and wood-carvings and figures
| in bas-relief; among the second, BAN
ners, flower baskets and pictures.
| Buddhist priests are praying to Buddha
in the central hall, while in the back
hall, where the shrine of the chief deity
is situated, fiocks of worshipers fit to
and fro making offerings of food, light
ing candles and burning incense. There
| is no scene in China moro animated.
Everybody who has any religion in him