The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-11-03
ORIENTAL KITES.
CHICAGO CHINAMEN KEEPING
A NATIONAL HOLIDAY.
Taking Large Kites Of Many Gro
tes1ue Forms Out on the
Prairie and Flying Them
A Queer Exhibition.


A few days ago strange scene might
have been witnessed on one of the big
vacant lots on the west side. From an
early hour on the day in question an oc-
casional Chinaman carrying an unwleldy
and mysterious looking bundle took one
of the Madison or Randolph street cars
aud went to the end of the route. Each
one as he arrived dismounted and wended
his way in westerly direction, but none
OF the busy conductors was aware that a
common point was their destination.
Such was the case, however, and before
the autumn sun had begun to shine very
strongly they were gathered to the num-
Der Of score or mo4e on slop:ng piece
of grolnd short distance outside the
city limits.
Then queer movement began. Each
celestial, having made variety Of elab-
crate salu ations toward the east, turned
his attention to his parcel and COM
menced to gravely undo the fastenings. A
Meus repo: ter, who happened to be an
unseen observer, fully expected to see q
quantity of ,ong, tailed shirts, linen cuffs.
collars, etc., produced and new method
OF bleaching exhibited to his wondering
gaze. But still greater surprise was in
store. From each newspaper wrapper o
brand-new and claboratcly constructed
paper kite was unfolded, and in few
moments the cords were adjusted, and a
score of pig-tails were streaming in the
morning breeze Us the orientals scam
pcred nimbly around in every dire tion
irving to raise the wind and hoi,t their
strange playthings upon their wings.
An curious looking batch of contriv-
ances they were. 1t was no ordinary
school-boy's kite that John lhinaman
was disport:ng himself with on the Chi
caco piairies this fine morning. They
were of all ,hapes and sizes, cunningly
manufactured and deliberately orGa-
meuted. Birds, fish, scrpcnt<, dragons,
and, in fact, every kind of imaginable
animal and reptile were represented.
One big laundryman, with huge
queue and the most curly pointed OF
wooden shoes, kicked up his heels like
two year colt as he bounded over the
soft turf at the end of q string attached
to kite that res mbled an immense pair
of spe:ta les. He jabbe!ed continually
in q language that seemed made up OF
nothing but three or four words that
sounded Ike the monotonous tones OF a
vigorously hammered gong to a com
panion who was foiting an arrangement
meant to resemble an eel not less than
fifteen feet long. Another child OF the
sun was Haunting a paper eagle with
plumage of IL tiarlng ,e:low, and third
carried a peculiar-looking eight.sided
figure, which was probably made in i'm
itation of some of the diagrams produced
by the early Chinese emperors, some OF
when had mathematical pretens:onS.
Qua lrupcds, bipeds, and reptiles OF
almost every species were represented, all
being gaudily painted and decorated.
One ludicrous looking Mongolian, with
face like pumpkin with cash in the
center of it, hung on to what looked like
a Buddhist idol almost as ugly as him.
self. He seemcd in high glee as the
monstrous image floatcd rapidly upward,
its huge head and shoulders bobbinS from
side to side, while its glass eyes seemed
to twinkle like stars as they now and
then caught the rays of the morning sun,
One low, broad -shouldered fellow had
larger bundle than any of the rest and
went some distance off from the main
crowd to open it. Five minutes later
what seemed to lie flock of hawks was
lowering over the yellow faced heathen,
their beaks and talons bent downward as
if prepared to alight on some object un-
derneath. They were all of paper, and
by an ingenious cont'ivance controlled
by one string.
For over an hour these queer gambols
were kept up, and then the kites were
recalled, and the owners, after again in
dulging in similar extravagant aid fan
tastic situations to those with which
they began proceedings, disappeared as
quietly as they had come.
At first when this extraordinary scene
was presented to the eyes of the wonder
ing scribe he became impressed with the
idea that the Cinnamon must have taken
leave of their senses, and that some new
and extraordinary species of insanity had
developed among the Easterns. But such
was not the case. The Cinnamon were
simply observing ore of their nationa
holidays-the ninth day of the ninth
month-which in their own land is cele-
brated by kite-Sying on the.hilltops. The
Chinese tell the following story in eXpla-
nation of their choosinga particular date
for the observance of this Custom: In an
cient time certain MN named Hing
Shay was informed by one of the wise
men of his locality that some dire ca
lamity would bcfall his household on the
date in question. lie Immediately in
formed his family Of the impending ruin.
md on the morning of the mu> h-dreaded
dav rep ,ired with all his relations to q
nighboring hill and spent the time as
best he could. On returning home that
evening he found all his domesti. ami
mails dead. The Chinaman consid.: ed
himself lucky to have escaped with his
family, and, the story having got around,
h came to be looked upon as one in
whose behalf a miracle had been per-
formed. Ever since then Cinnamon,
wherever they are scattered and when
the opportunity offers, celebrate the ninth
day of the ninth month by propagating
the evil spirits in the same manner that
Hing Shay did Chicago Ne'os.