The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-03-05

HAWAIIAN HOLIDAYS AND HOW THEY
AXE OBSERVED.
The Hawaiian holidays are twelve in
number, and are strange miugling Of
American, European, and Asiatic civil
and religious observances. January Ist
i. a holiday, being New Years day; jan
Jury 18th Is holiday, in celebration
of the downfall of monarchy; February
12th is Chinese New Year; March 9TH,
Kamehameha HIS. birthday; Good
Friday; May 24th, birthday of Queen
Victoria; May goth, Decoration Day;
June nth, kamehameha Day; July 4th,
Birthday of the Republic and Ameri-
can independence; November 18th,
Recognition of Hawaiian Indepen-
dence; Thanksgiving Day and Christ
mas. If all holidays are kept as Christ
mas, the Hawaians will not soon for
| get the several events they celebrate
| lief, Kalaua on December 2 3, 1895,
on the Inter-Island Steamer w. G..
Hall, tor Honolulu, and was surprised
to find the steamer crowded with peo
pie of all possible shades of mplexion
and stations in life, all bound for Hon
olulu to spend the holidays. The school
teacher from Hawaii, the clerk and
plantation manager from Maui: all
boarded the Hall for the capital city.
Quite gay party of fair and dark
| ladies and gentlemen were assembled
on the deck of the steamer as she piled
the waters, and guitars and banjos were
brought out, singing and instrumental
music being the order until a late hour.
By daylight on the 24th, we were at
the dock in Honolulu The day was
as warm as one in July. Men went
about in white duck suits and straw
! hats, many of the natives were bare
| footed, and, s, far as the weather was
| concerned, there was no indication
| whatever of Christmas. But the shops
! displayed the usual amount of Christ
| mas toys, the churches were decorated
with Christmas trees, and it only lacked
| cold weather and winter garb to make
one sure it was Christmas indeed.
When evening came on walked out
on the streets and found them all bril-
liantly lighted up, and the shop men
doing thriving business. Fort street
and Hotel street, and other principal
| streets, were thronged with men,
women, and children SO that one could
scarcely squeeze his way through. 1t
almost reminded one of Fourteenth and
Twenty third streets, New York, during
the holiday trade.
Shop windows were filled with toys,
trlnkets, and holiday presents, some
| displayed with the most excellent taste.
Articles Of brig t coors seemed to at
tract the natives most. The Hawaiian
loves the beautiful, the gaudy, the
brilliant. He does not always display
the most approved of tastes in the Sc
lection of colors, for blue and pink,
red and yellow are liable to be mingled
promiscuously in the makeup of his or
her dress.
An incident attracted my attention
which will illustrate what it is 70 be in
tropical country during the Christ
mas holidays. | saw great throng Of
natives gathered in front OF a contec-
tionery shop on Fort street, who seemed
to be greatly excited and talking rap
idly in their native language, the OBJ
Ject which was attracting their atten-
ton being evidently on the sidewalk.
One put his finger forward as if to
touch some object and suddenly ierked
it away again as if the creature was
alive and had bitten him. | pressed
forward to get a glimpse of the wonder
and 1t proved to be-a large square
cake of ice. That ice attracted more
attention than anything on exhibition
that evening. In the centre of it was
frozen some California fruit, and the
natives stood around it, occasionally
touching 1t with their fingers, until it
melted entirely away, which was late
i'll the night.
Christmas was celebrated here more
as Fourth of July than Christmas. The
kanaka boy does not know how to
celebrate if he cannot make a noise,
and hrecrackers are his hearts delight.
He discharges them by the bunch in
imitation of the Chinese, and not singly
as the American boy does. All night
long on Christmas Eve the frecrackers
were popping, and they continued
during all the next day. There were
services in all the churches and Sunday
schools similar to such services in the
United States on Christmas Day. The
native churches had their Christmas
trees, the different American and the
European churches their trees and 40,
proprlase ceremonies. The Chinese
and Japanese Christian churches, in
imitation of their white brothers, also
vices.
attended the Japanese M. E.
Church Christmas tree. The hall in
which the services were conducted was
beautifully decorated with large fern
tree in one corner, ornamented with |
candles and tinsel paper, and loaded |
with pretty presents. The entertain
ment began by singing by the Japan
csc. The music was familiar but the
words were not. Then X. kahasaki. !
one of the Japanese workers, read
chapter from the Bible in his own Ian
guage. This was followed by prayer
from S. Nishi, an opening address by
A. Iwamoto, a hymn, eyes, Jesus Loves
Me- by seven Japanese boys; this Was
followed by Rotations in Japanese and
English by several little boys. H. Ma
kano, a boy not over twelve or fourteen
years of age, deliverd an address in