Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-03-04
Special Correspondence Herald and Tribune
HAWAII, THE ''PEARL OF
THE PACIFIC"
Hawaiian Holidays and How They are
Observed.
Copyright, 1896, by Funk & Wagnalls Com
pany, New York.

| '|uicpNdllt anu AsldllC CIVIL
and religious observances. January lst
is holiday, being New Years day; jan
uary II is holiday, in celebration of the
downfall of monarchy; February u is
Chinese New Year; March II, Kameha-
meha lips, birthday; Good Friday Nav
"A, birthday of Queen Victoria; Nav 30,
Decoration Day; June IL, Kamehameha
Day; July 4, Birthday of the Republic
and American independence; November
2S, Recognition of Hawaiian Independ-
ence; Thanksgiving Day and Christ
mas. If all holidays are kept as Christ
mas, the Hawaiians will not soon for
get the several events they celebrated.
left kailaua on December %, 1895, on
the Inter Island Steamer w. G. Hall, for
Honolulu, and was surprised TO find the
steamer crowded with people of all pos
sible shades of complexion and stations
in life, all bound for Honolulu to spend
the holidays. The school teacher from
Hawaii, the clerk and plantation man,
ager 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 un-
til late hour.
BY daylight on the oath 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 barefooted, and, SO
far as the weather was concerned, there
was no indication whatever of Christ
mas. But the shops displayed the usual
amount of Christmas toys, the churches
were decorated with Christmas trees,
and it only lacked cold weather and
winter garb to make one sure 1t was
Christmas indeed.
When evening came on walked ont
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 re-
minded one Of Fourteenth and Twenty
Third Streets, New York, during the
holiday trade.
Shop windows were filled with toys,
trinkets, and. holiday presents, some dis
played with the most excellent taste
Articles of bright colors seemed to at
tract the natives most The Hawaiian
loves the beautiful, the gaudy, the bril-
liant. He does not always display the
most approved of taste in the selection
of colors, for blue and pink, red and vel
low are liable to be mingled promiscu-
ously in the makeup of his or her dress.
An incident attracted my attention
which will illustrate what it is to be in
o tropical country during tho Christmas
holidays. saw great throng of natives
gathered in front of confectionery shop
on Fort Street,who seemed to be greatly
excited and talking rapidly in their ma
tive language, the object which was at
tracing their attention being evidently
on the sidewalk. One put hisfinger for
word as if to touch some object and sud-
denly jerked it away again as if the
creature was alive and had bitten him.
pressed forward to get glimpse of the
wonder and it proved to be-a large
square cake of ice That ice attracted
more attention than anything on exhi-
billion that evening. In the center. of it
was frozen some California fruit, and the
natives stood around it, occasionally
touching it with their fingers, until it
melted entirely away, which was late in
the night.
Christmas was celebrated here more as
Fourth of July than Christmas The
kanaka boy does not know how to Gle
brate if he can not make noise, and
firecrackers are his hearts delight. He
discharges them by the bunch in imita-
ton of the Chinese, and not singly as the
American boy does. All night long on
Christmas Eve the firecrackers 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 European
churches their trees and appropriate
ceremonies. The Chinese and Japanese
Christian churches, in imitation of their
white brothers, also had Christmas trees
and devotional services.
attended the japanese NJ. T.. 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 entertainment began bv
singing by the Japanese. 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 language. This was followed
by prayer from 5. Nishi, an opening ad-
dress by A. Iwamoto, a hymn, ayes,
Jesus Loves Me-" by seven Japanese
boys; this followed by recitations in
japanese and English by several little
boys. ii. Nakano, a boy not over twelve
or fourteen years of age, delivered an
address in English to the Americans
present. which might have done credit
to one much more advanced in years.
After the benediction came the presen-
tation of gifts. This was novel, amusing
and expensive to a congregation as
small and poor as the japanese, as in
addition to the special gifts on the
Christmas tree for individual friends,
they provided gifts for visitors and all,
and the house was well crowded with
visitors. The pastor of the church. Rev.