News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-02-02
A LAND OF FESTIVITIES,
MERRY-MAKING IN SIAM, HOME
OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT.
Celebrating the Religious New year
in March-SuperstitiOn and Gu
rious Customs of the People.

| Inc NlanleSe, Iue peOple VI Ihle WIZ
drous country of perpetual summer-the
land of the lotus and the white
elephant-are eminently race of
holiday keepers, says the New York
Commercial Adrertiser.
And, not content with innumerable
religious and civic festivals throughout
the year, they must have, not one, but
two New Years -days-one the begin
ming of the civil, the other the begin
ming of the religious year, each of which
is celebrated with great pomp and with
a total surrender of business for pleasure
for period of from four to eight days.
They have two eras, the religious and
the civil, the latter dating from the
ascension to the throne of renowned
monarch, named Somdetch Para Rooang,
exactly /, pa years ago. They also have
two cycles, one within the other the
greater being twelve years IN duration
and the lesser ten. Each year In each
cycle has its own specific name, such as
the year of the Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit,
Great Dragon, Lesser Oregon, Horse,
Goat, Monkey, Cock, Dog and Hog.
The Siamese ''Choola Sakarat," or re-
! ligious New Year, generally falls on the
| day after the first full moon in the month
! of March. The Bramin astrologer, whose
| sole duty it is to point out the aspect OF
the sun. moon and stars, heralds the APP
preaching full moon by setting in motion
all the multitudinous gongs and temple
bells in the city far and near. The peo-
pie who are always ready, waiting for
this signal, have generally finished their
business for the year; debts have been
paid off, accounts closed, merchandise
disposed of, and all actual traffic of buy
ing and selling suspended three days
previous to the expected event. The an
nouncement made by the many-tongued
instruments is received by the vast popu
lation that inhabits the valley watered
by the beautiful Menam river with fear
and trembling, for they firmly believe
that this is the witching hour when the
very atmosphere of the world is alive
with gods, demons, gen11 and hobgob-
Inns. and forthwith the anxious and SUI
perstitious people hasten to Illustrate
their evil designs. They bind unspun
cotton thread, consecrated by the priest,
round their doors and windows, as the
sacred thread is supposed to prove an
effectual barrier in keeping out the
malicious spirits. This done they place
by the doors of their houses and huts
platter containing a pigs head and a
bottle of arraCk, as cOnciliatory repast
for the wondering ghosts that may de-
sire to regale themselves during the
night; after which the whole city, like
the snail, draws in its horns and no con-
sideration will tempt mortal soul to
venture out of it until sunrise the next
morning.
At sunset every family offers to his
own household gcnii an oblation of
candles, perfumed tapers and roasted
rice. Asf the royal palace, 1000 balls
of unspun cotton, of seven fibres, conse-
Grated by twenty-seven priests, are
reeled round and round the walls, and
from sunset until dawn a terrific and
continuous cannonading is heard from
all the forts of the city to rout the evil
spirits that infest the departing year.
But, once this dreadful night is passed,
the terror-stricken Inhabitants, with a
long drawn sigh of relief, prepare to
welcome the new year. Dressed in
many-colored silks, they repair first to
the temples to offer praise and thanks
giving for their deliverance and to make
handsome gifts to the priests, and not
until they have propitiated Buddha and
Buddha's earthly representatives do they
think of their own merrymaking.
Now the holiday is begun, and for
| days every one surrenders himself or
herself to dancing, singing, frequenting
the theatre and other public places of
amusements, and to every conceivable
kind of out-of-dOor sports. Boat racing
is a favorite amusement at all times, and
at the New Year festivities the great
races of the year are won and lost.
Their racing boats are long, light canoes,
III 4 =
they fly through the water with lncredi-
BILE speed. BY night the river, upon
and in which the majority of the inhabit-
ants of the capital spend the greater part
of their time, is one mass of fire. The
pyrotechnic display on the Menam river
at the Siamese New Years festivities is
probably unequaled the world over.
Snakes, dragons, fish of all kinds birds
and beasts and all animate creatures are
manufactured by this clever people, and
90 whizziug through the water, leaving
only a trail of light behind, while the
set pieces upon the banks represent the
taking and burning of the cities of their
enemies, and the glorifcation of their
sovereign and their Buddha.
All Siamese birthdays are celebrated
at New Years, and at this time the GU
rious custom of chair cutting" is OBJ
served. When boy reaches the age of
eleven or fifteen, and girl that of nine
or thirteen, they are considered no longer
children. Up to this time a tuft of hair
is allowed to grow Just above the fore
head, and is always dressed with great
care 1t is twisted into a graceful knot
and held together with a long gold or
ieweled pin At the base of this knot is
worn a wreath of fragrant white flow
ers. The ceremonies of hair cutting often
last five or six days. 1t is the looming
out party" of the boy or girl, and there
after they are not permitted to mingle
with the other sex as children, but are
considered to have arrived at a marriage
able age.
At the time Of the hair cutting of the
youngest daughter of the late king, the
entire country assembled at the capital
to witness the services. Plays and pan
tomimes, operas and balls were given the
people for a week; the country was in a
state of excessive exhilaratiOn. On tie
last day procession of Siamese, Malays,
Chinese, Peguans, Burmese, Laos, Karens
and japanese filed past the king and his
lovely daughter, seated upon throne of
gold. Groups of pretty women danced
at the foot of the throne with small
silver trees in their hands-the symbol
of maiden purity Soft music issued
from unseen bands, and intoxicating per-
fumes were waited from real and artiti-
cial banks of flowers. The air was
charged with greetings to the happy
maid that was that day the recipient of
no less than thirty-fve offers of marriage
from neighboring princes.
The hair cutting was done in the
kings chapel by the family priest, after
which the little lady was bathed in holy
water and "clad in more gorgeous raj
ment than ever before" proclaimed a
woman"
Many other rites and ceremonies are
observed New Years, such as the both
ing of the priests by the king and the
bathing of his majesty by the princes of
the minor principalities, the offering of
special obligations to Buddha by the
king for the welfare of his people dur
ing the new year, and the building of
new temples to his honor. Whatever can
be done to propitiate their deity is at
tempted, and every pleasure of which
the people can conceive is INDUCED in
by them during this the greatest festival
Of the year.
The Origin Of "JOhn Bull"
The name John Ball as applied to the
English people, is first found in Arbuth-
nOt's ludicrous "Gistory of Europe"
book sometimes enormously ascribed to
Dean SWif I'm thiC Ca+irn A rhu