Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-09
THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.
IL Is Being Celebrated at the Legation
day Most Elaborntely.

II IL Being Celebrated ss the Legation To-
day Most E1aborateiy.
All callers at the Chinese legation on Dupont
circle today were met at the door with the
answer that the members Of the legation were
New Year day.
In point Of fact, the legation was very much
At home, even il not to visitors. for they were
deeply engrossed in the celebration Of the most
important day in the whole Chinese calendar.
THE WANDERING NEW rEAa.
New year's day with that eastern people did
not occur on the 9th of our February last year
as II did this time. In fact the day may wander
all around in a seemingly most erratic
manner over period of about six weeks. This
was explained by one of the secretaries TO a
STAR reporter who called at the legation this
morning by the fact that the Chinese calen-
dar Is calculated according TO lunar
ilme, instead OF by solar time. ne
twenty-nine or thirty days-never twenty-oight
or thirty-one. There are. therefore. about
SS4 DAYS IN the Chinese year. and this is equal
i1ed py the Introduction during every i've
years OF two intercslary months-one every
tnree years and one every two years.
AN ELABORATE CELEBRATION.
The celebration at the legation today was
quite elaborate and began the first thing in the
morning with the formal salutatiou. known as
blowing in a circle" The minister and
all the attaches formed in one cir lie and
bowed politely and ceremoniously 20 the center
or more properly speaking TO each other all at
once. This little performance was naively ex-
planned rs being great labor saving
scheme. as II did away with the necessity of
everybody making formal call on everybody
else In their rooms. The Emperor Of China was
supposed to be present this morning in spirit
If not In truth, and all due reverence was shown
TO his august suppositious presence. The great
ball that was TO have taken place today
was abandoned on account of the death OF the
emperors father that occurred about a month
ago.
FEAsrIN0 AND A GOOD TIME.
The major part of the day was given up 70
feasting and a royalty good time generally. I,
was holiday and all the cares of diplomacy
were laid aside for the time being. and
each and all took part in the festivities Of the
occasion. The great feast of the day occurs
at 4 o'clock-that il, il begins at 4 o'clock
but there is no telling what time il will
be concluded. The ladies of the diplomatic
family will be present. although they will have
seats at another table in the banquet hall, and
Will not sit with the sterner celestials.
THE MINISTER'S DEPARTURE TONIGHT.
At 10 O'Clock this evening the Minister Tsui
Kwo Yin will leave for New York.
whence he sails tomorrow for Peru. ac-
companied by suite of seven, to presen,
his credentials as Chinese ambas-
sador TO that country. He represents his gov
ernment in that capacity in Peru and Spain. AZ
well as in the United States.
All through the wash houses and other
homes of the less pretentious Chinese
today the day Was celebrated with great
zest and fervor, not to mention a little
fan tan or Chinese poker on the sly. Every
house and did the best to make
himself and others merry. As one
Of them said, it was "Allee samee
like in China" When man could afford il he
did things up well and as a result the merry
making will continue to a greater OF less de-
gree for several DAYS yet.