The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1891-03-18
A GRAVEYARD DANCE.
eHosTLY CEREMONY WITNESSED IN
A JAPANESE CEMETERY.

A Four Days Feast for Legendary Spirits.
Burying Grounds Richly and Luxuri-
ousiy Decorated with Garlands and
Tempting viands.
DR.. G.. H. Cotton Salter, who for many
years was United States consul in Japan
and afterward entered the Chinese gov
eminent service, gazed thoughtfully into
the glowing embers in the CRATE and
after q short pause told the following |
tale:
The many stories published about |
Indian ghost dances and the Messiah |
craze remind me of one of the most re-
markab1e incidents l have ever witnessed
during my long career in the Orient,
and am sure there are but few Amer.
cans or Europeans who have had the
opportunity to see the sights of which /
am going to tell.
The native religion of the Japanese is,
as you know, Buddhism, and there is no
creed which is Us full Of superstition.
Some of the ancient beliefs of the Bud
dhists are calculated to brighten the faith
full and wildly portray the horrible pun
ishment that awaits the sinful man after
he closes his earthly career, while others,
with charming simplicity, show that the
greatest aim of the Hindoo religion is
the release from existence.
The doctrine of the TRANSPORTATION Of
souls and hope for better fate in
future life are the principal foundations
upon which Buddhism rests. Nagasalri,
where l resided for many years, was
famed for the splendid festivals in honor
of Duddah. or Gautama, the founder Of
the religion. Owing to the work of
missionaries and the consequent spread
of Christianity in japan, many of the
religious fetes are no longer publicly OBJ
served, and the one of which am about
to speak had its last grand celebration in
1886, just before l left Nagasaki.
DECORATED eRAvEYARps.
1t is called the Matsidri and was held
during the last week in August or the
first week in September, continuing four
days. These days were set aside for the
reception of the spirits of the dead, who,
according to u legendary belief, return
once a year to their old homes. For
many weeks previous to the festival
preparations had been in progress. The
houses of the believers had all been care
fully swept, cleaned and polished, and
the home affairs, which are to be found
in every native house, had been redeco-
rated and refurnished. The interior of
all the buildings had been profusely
all With Anxxarc tha l,od
been repaired and the whole city was
clothed in holiday attire.
On the morning of the first day the
dead were received with much ceremony
in the graveyard. which is in beautiful
grove. Each mound was profusely dec
Grated with lighted lanterns and gar
lands of many colored paper globes hung
from tree to tree. On the top of every
grave food of the daintiest kind was
spread in tempting manner aud in guam
titles sufficient to appease the appetites
Of an army of the hungriest kind Of
ghosts. On mats spread about tho
graves sat all the living descendants of
the person who had been buried In that
particular spot. Not single tomb was
neglected. If in the course of years the
family of any one of the silent sleepers
had completely died out his grave had
been embellished and supplied by stran-
gers.
The spirits were supposed to arrive and
depart by water from the sea, aud for
four days and nights the living commune
with their dead and were with them In
spirit. The souls of the departed were
supposed to hover around the tombs like
substantial visible beings. and they were
treated with every attention due to sacred
and distinguished visitors from the other
world
The night of the second day was de.
voted to grand terpsichorean entertain
ment or spirit dance, and the graveyard
was transformed for once into ball
room, where ghostly dancers were sup
posed to hold revelry.
A SPLENDID SIGHT.
The scenes made strong and ever
.asting impression on me. Tho night
was perfect, the moon was ct its full and
the air was fragrant with the perfumes
Of thousands of flowers Myriads Of
lights were Pickering on the hillsides
which surround the city, and the colored
lanterns swayed gently to and fro, keep
ing time to the chimes of the silvery
bells in the temple tower, which fur
nished the music for the mystic enter
tainment. Around an artificial lake in
the center Of the graveyard the people
knelt in silent devotion, worshiping on
the shrine of Buddha, whose emblem,
the lotus flower, rose from the middle of
the lake.
Every one of the four days and nights
brought new surprises and ceremonies,
many Of the latter being held in the
temple, the doors of which were closed
and guarded against the entrance of
infidels. On the last night--or the night
of nights, us it was called-a grand pro-
cession finished the festival. The people
marched in parade to escort their spirit
visitors to the water front, where they
were to depart.
Boatmen carried on their shoulders a
gigantic craft built of wood and straw,
in which the dead were supposed to be
seated, and which was to convey them
back to spirit land and to Ohata. the
great father beyond the sea. This boat,
which is called Fukuy, was master
piece Of Japanese carpentry. 1t was
ninety feet long and had q stately mast
with huge sail which bore in native
characters the inscription, "Naidinama-
widi," a word which is symbolic of
Gautama's greatness.
This boat, artistically and richly deco
rated, was launched with much cere-
mony after the last spirit had been en-
braced and, fguratively speaking, had
taken his scat on board. 1t was then
pushed out into tho sea, and drifting
away was finally carried out Of sight by
the tide. And SO ended the last festival
Of Matsidri ever held publicly in Ma
gasaki, and tho most splendid religious
celebration ever witnessed. San Fran
r.iaco Ehr0nicIa