St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-31

red placards. on which are written good
fortune and New Year wishes. They
paste them on the walls and doors of
the houses of the people who are well
to do, and come around early the next
day and beg for gift as reward for
their printed card the night before.
HOW KOREANS FLY KITES.
Some of the queerest people have
ever met are the Koreans. The world
knew nothing about them ten years ago,
and they have today about the same
customs which the Chinese had 400 years
ago. They are to a large extent ma
ton of children and New Year is great
day with them. On this day men and
boys turn out to fly kites. sand they keep
this kite flying up during the New Year
holidays. When they are over they cut
the string Of their kites and let them fly
away. benoving that the kites will
carry off any Ill luck which may
be waiting for their owners. A
Korean kite is different from
any other kite in the world. 1t has no
tail; and 1t is nearly square. 1t is made
of thin pieces of bamboo covered with
paper, with a hole in the center. The
fact that it has no tail makes it require
great skill to operate it, and the Koreans
use reels of string instead of balls.
When they get their kites high up in
the air they try to make them swing
this way and that, so they will cut the
strings of their neighbors, and when
the strings become entangled their own
ers pull at them. and the one who gets
hold of his enemy's kite first has the
right to it. These kite fights are very
skillfully managed, and a thousand
people often watch them with as much
interest as the Spaniards GO bull fight
and we Americans do the race track.
ONE SUNDAY A YEAR.
New Years day is sort of a Korean
Sabbath. 1t Is the only Sunday the
Koreans have, and the same may be said
of the Chinese. In Korea no one ever
works on New Year, and there are
family reunions like our Thanksgiving
day. Children on this day are expected
to go home to their parents. All debts
have to be paid, and every one expects
to get his bills at the last of the year
On New Year morning it is imperative
that you call upon your friends, and you
are expected to sacrifice to your an
cestors. The giving of New Year
presents is common, and these pres
entS are always sent out in
certain kind of box known
as New Years boxes. Every one
comes out in new clothes, land for week
little else than feaSting is done. The
Koreans are very superstitIous, and one
of their New Years customs is the MAX
ing of effigies of straw representing
themselves. In these straw men are
hidden pieces OF money and also piece
of paper OH which is written prayer
asking that the owner be delivered from
| oil plaques and diseases and misfortuneS
Tor the year to come. Boys call for these
| effigies and they cut them up to get the
money out of them. The more thew are
cut the better will be the luck Of the
| persons who make them. After they
/ ore torn to pieces the remainders are
| thrown at some crossroads, where they
| are burnt.
The Japanese celebrate the New Year
much the same as do the Chinese. Calls
are made, presents exchanged and set
| Elements are expected. The children
are out in force. They play all sorts of
| games and they make snow men Just as
our boys do in America.
| NEW YEAR IN TURKEY.
| The Turks have number of HOLIDAYS.
l was in Constantinople on Mohammed's
birthday, and the people were all out in
their best clothes, and | watched the
sultan go to the mosque. l saw the pro-
| ceSSlOn which goes every year acroSsC
stantinople to kiss the mantle of Moham-
med. The Mohammed year is eleven days
shorter than ours, and its New Year day
changes from year to year. The astrol.
ogers fix the exact beginning of it by
firing rocket from one OF the heights
about Constantinople, and the Turks
celebrate it In great shape. The sultan
gives reception in one of his palaces,
and at this reception every one gets a
New Year gift in the shape of some
Turkish gold pieces which are espe-
cially minted for the purpose. All the
high.class Mohammedans make pres
ents to their households OH this dav.
and nearly every servant gets piece of
money. FRANK q. CARPENTER.