The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-23
CHRISTIANS IN CHINA.
Trees Which Are Just as Odd as China
men Can Make Them.

from the New 1OIk 1eIdlu.
The European peoples in their early his
tory were worshipers of the sun. In Chi
ma the sun takes an inferior position, and
the moon becomes the principal character
Nearly all the great events in the Chinese
year have some reference to that bright
satellite. New Year begins with the moon
and the other great festival is that of the
harvest moon in mid autumn, and here
also are found two sun festivals one in
early summer and the second and more
important around Dec. %. This is the
Chinese Christmas, which has come down
through the centuries from the time that
the Chinese race dwelt in the fertile plains
of Mongolia and Manchuria, and when the
present empire was occupied by dark
skinned tribes. who long since have van
ished and been forgotten.
This Chinese Christmas is known under
different names. In one place it is called
the festival of the Winter Sun, in another
the festival Of the Tree Spirits, in another
the festival of the Forest Dragon, in an
other the festival of the Young Heaven,
and still another the festival of the Spirits
of Growing Grain. Whatever the name, 1t
has always some connection with the win
ter's solstce, and is the exact equivalent
of our own Christmas.
1t is celebrated like other Chinese festi-
walls, and is a source of enjoyment to mill
ions. There is also a celebration of the
Western Chris tmas in China by natives
who have been converted TO Christianity.
These converts are of three classes-those
belonging to the Protestant missions.
those of the Greek church, and those of
Rome.
The converts, no matter what their de-
nomination, celebrate the day in good, old
fashioned style. Their preparations begin
several days in advance of the festival.
They first make little trees, that corre-
spond TO the Christmas trees of our own
country. But these are very different, and
are just as odd as Chinaman can make
them The commonest form consists of a
long dried branch, from which the dead
leaves have been removed. and on which
are fastened green paper leaves, little
pieces of tinsel and fragments of scarlet
paper, until the affair CLEANS with color.
1t is fastened to the wall, so as to pro-
ject into the room, or else placed in
heavy vase on table in front of the fam
lily altar. Another very pretty variation
is a dry branch, forked and irregular. with
a mimic cobweb made of silk thread, in
whose meshes are green leaves and red
and gold flowers.
Artificial flowers are largely employed
as household ornaments at this season.
Those OF Canton are famous in this re-
gard and are made with such consum-
mate skill as to almost defy detection.
Those of SwatoW and FOoChOw are cheap
er and much poorer, betraying their pa
per texture across a wide apartment
More common than either of those men,
toned are the bouquets and garlands
without which no Chinese house is
church seems well furnished. Those floral
object are purely conventional and usu-
ally consist of leaves and flowers made
from colored paper, initiating the natu-
raj hues of the plant copied, pieces of
gold, silver and red bronze tinsel and lit
tie human figures in porcelain or compo-
sition which nestle in the paper YER
dure around them. These combinations
of color, tinsel and statuetes are startling,
and the effect chromatic in the extreme
Instead of a bouquet the elements are
strung along a cord or wire so as to pro-
duce a narrow garland which is used in
nearly the same manner as the evergreen
testOOns of our own country.
The bouquets and garlands are of every
size and quality. Some are small enough
70 DO duty as boutonniere. and cost the
traction of a cent while others are