Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-02
The Practice Originated in New York
in This Country.
STILL IN VOGUE HERE
But 1t Has Been Abandoned In Nearly Every
Other City-The Custom of Precedence in
French Society. Which Wouldn't Do With
Us-The Question of Dress,
GIT DIES HARD

naro, hot8piy cats ana presidential booms, % O
question was asked:
What dies hard, my dear sir?"
Tho custom Of New Year calling" was the
answer, and as he said il ,here was a tone of
sadness in his voice
''But 1t isn't dead yet, is it?"
NO." said he. "it is not dead vet bv snr
means in Washington, and do not suppose IL
will ever die out here, but in New York, Pb,la-
delphia and Boston New Year calling is no
longer what il used to be- It is true that
good many people keep it up still, bu. as a mat
ter OF fact the backbone of this time honored
observance is hopelessly broken and it is
dying
or course. 1t can't disappear in Washington.
The President and other high officials throw
open their doors on that day and receive their
friends, and as long as this is the case many
New Year calls will be made, but still the card
basket hangs out IN front of many doorways
that used formerly TO be wide open for the re-
ception of guests.
When calling on New Year day shall have
entirely ceased what sort Of ceremony will take
its place? Is the day to be mere blank, with
nothing to make it memorable2
WHAT Is LEGAL HOLIDAY FOR?
Every such day has its individual purposes.
Thanksgiving day and Christmas are days for
making merry; Washington's birthday, Dec
grafton day, Independence day arc legal holi-
days for specific purpose. What. then, will
become OF January l, supposing that general
calling on ones friends shall cease? II such a
thing should ever happen depend upon it there
will be something to take its place.
or all the days in the year this is the one that
has been marked by elaborate obseryances the
longest. The world has only observed Christ
mas for 1881 years, but an antiquarian has dis
covered that in the year 7l3 g. &. q great feast
was instituted on january by Numa and dedi-
Gated to James, who was supposed to preside
over the new year. But new year does not
necessarily begin January to all people, and
Christians did not observe that day until
Charles X Of France decreed in 1854 that
hencetorth the new year should begin on the
day that the Romans had always accepted.
THE CHINESE CELEBRATION.
Even now the Chinese celebrate their new
year on February g. and if ANYBODY cares to
60 to Chinatown in San Francisco he can see
what they do to enjoy themselves. They hang
out lanterns, OF course--Chnese lanterns OF
bright-colored paper They put up red rolls
OF paper, and they mark them with sentences
running up and down. and Cinnamon will tell
yon that the queer looking hieroglyphics mean
welcome and "Pcace to all men and Come
IN ana drink tea, CT something of that kind
and you must accept wha: they saw because
you can't disprove it. Then they are fond of
burning punk or Joss sticks, and they explode
their famous Crackers" They paw calls on
one another, too the ladies upon the ladies and
the men on the men, but not the men upon the
ladies, which would be considered highly i'm
proper. When these calls take place there is a
tremendous amount OF "kow-tacoing," and
they utter many highflown. philosophical SEN
fences for the language of people from the
east, like their raiment is gorgeous and pleut,-
fully strewn with flowers.
It is safe to say that the Chinese new year
Will be ushered in by more calling in China
town than there is on 9Th avenue on January 1.
Yet New York claims the honor of having in
troduced the custom in America. Before it
was New York and whel it was a quaint little
Dutch community called New Amsterdam, the
solid citizens left their pipes and cups and
went from house to house to pay their respects
walked in and wished each other "a happy New
Year; they were given something to eat and
possibiy-nay probably glass OF old Geneva
or schnapps, and then they passed on to the
next house. Leaving out the Geneva and
sehnapps and substituting sherry and punch
there Is not much difference between the
way the old colonists and the people of the city
up to ten years observed the day.
THE DAY IN WASHINGTON.
But, Of course, the calling here in Washing.
ton had from the very beginning an eclat tina,
no other city could boast, for here the Presi
dents have always received. The program tina,
is now followed does not differ materially from
the rules laid down by John Adams. 1t does
not require an act Of Congress to make law
of this kind, and yet an act of Congress would
be much easier thing to have repealed than ar
established rule of etiquette. Nevertheless
the day here is not what it used to be. 1t ID
only few years ago that Washington man
who wished TO do his duty was obliged to get
i'll a carriage shortly after breakfast and dash
i'll and out of houses all day long in order to
call on all his acquaintance. The lists of visits
ran up above hundred often. The method OF
calling and the conversation were something
like this:
The caller: "HOw dye do9 Wish you 9
happy New Year"
The l hostess ss;, Happy New Yearl Have you
The caller: Yes, and have many more to
pay. Good-day."
The hostess: wont you have something to
eat?'
The caller: "No. thanks; can't stop. Good
day" and on he would dash to the next house
where the same conversation would be carried
on. 1t doesn't take a person very long to see
why the system of wholesale calling has beer
abandoned. 1t was carried to an extreme.
THE DEATH AND BIRTH OF TINE.
But New Year day is not the only celebra.
ton of this time. The evening before is equally
important, and for a very simple reason. A,
midnight on the 3lst of December a year i.
done and another year begins. There is some
thing mysterious and strange in this death and
birth of time. Every moment of tho day ano
night II happens, but mankind has agreed thai
they shall all stop and consider it particularly
at midnight of December 81 There are severa
beautiful superstitions born Of this custom.
Among the rural populations of Germany il
is the custom to celebrate New Year eve by
shaking hands at midnight, but q woman mus
shake hands with a man and not with another
woman, or it is an unhappy omen. When the
| supper is served they have a pretty custom oil
taking two half shells Of a walnut and, putting
a tiny candle by way Of a mast in each, they
are launched from the opposite shores of tub
Of water. If they sail over to each other and
rest side by side it is an omen OF happy love
for the ensuing year; II they float apart there
will be estrangement, but If either one Of the
little boats founders and sinks the conse.
quences will be sure to be quite terrible. 1t il
believed also that whatever you dream
on any of tho twelve nights that
follow Christmas will come true, but
this is bad belief and cannot be recon-
mended, for at this time of heavy fesstine
many people win have indigestion. and indi
gestion brings most horrible dreams, which j,
would be very disagreeable to have come true
While New York claims the honor OF the intro
duction of New Year calling, it may be ques
toned whether it is not really more Of French
than . Dutch institution. Certainly the rule
Of calling is French. Hero it IL as laid dowr
many years ago, and it is safe to say that there
has been little or no change since.