The San Francisco call., 1896-02-12

flowed with customers. Every Chinese
shopkeeper has great clearance sale" on
the last day of the year and great bargains
are to be picked up. The only things that
fetch high prices are the new year meats
and drinks which nobody can do without.
EVERY street in Chinatown Was lined with
slallS, some containing oranges from San
Wei and big pumeloes from Annoy. There
We're long boxes full of sugarcane from
HAWAII, others were heaped up with can
dies and melon seeds and all sorts of
horrid looking indigestible pies and cakes
Wnlcn only Chinese could digest. Other
stalls were laden with the Shuey Seen Fa-
the water fairy lily, that sacred flower sup
posed to bring new years blessings to the
nome where it blooms and dlstils its fra
GRANGE on that morning. There were also
poughS OF peach and apricot whose BIOS
SONS are as sacred to Chinese new year as
are our holly and mistletoe to Christmas.
Inc Swiss scavengers made pile of
money cleaning away the heaps of rub
blsh accumulations of a whole year thrown
into the street from every house. Never
during the year is Chinatown so clean as
In its new year paint and whitewash,
The restaurants are gorgeous, the Hang
Fer Low and the Woey Leen Low on Du-
pont street and the Yoot Cheong Low on
Clay street being resplendent in all the
colors of the rainbow.
The Chinese were busy last evening
hanging up lanterns, decorations and floral
devices with red streamers over their
doors. The shopkeeper pastes strip of
red paper spangled with gilt, bearing tie
prayer, MAY the rich costumer always
come" The family house pastes over the
Intel the prayer, MAY the five blessings
Qong life, riches, honors, health and de-
scendants) come to me-"
Paper prayers are also posted on door
posts and walls. Good luck inscriptions
also meet the eye at every turn. the object
of which is to attract and gather all the
good spirits and genii that float in the air
at this time around the family hearth.
All day yesterday and last night the de-
vout idolater was seen at the temples pay
ing VOWS and supplicating for mercy.
Early last evening the candles and incense
were lighted. and gilt paper burned to the
household gods and ancestral shrines, for
1t is of the utmost importance that peace
should be made with the spirits of their
ancestors and with the gods who are sup
posed to preside over their domestic affairs.
Last night the little god Tso kwan, the
kitchen god, was believed to return to his
shrine, and is regaled with the candies he
loves so we'll.
1t is obligatory on every son of Han to
sit up all night, and last night was no ex-
every house. The Christian Chinese gath
cred together at the Mission rooms and
spent the evening holding watch might
service away from the rites of their old
worship.
When the hour of midnight struck the
fusiilade began. Bundles of firecrackers
were exploded in every room of China
town. The din as we go to press is terrific.
The meaning of this is feu de ioie to
salute the New Year. Ithas also the effect
OF driving forth all the evil spirits and bad
influences of the year just gone, so thatt the
young year may be uncontam1nated by
morning will be spent in offering worship
to heaven and earth, to the ancestral
shrines and to parents and uncles where
present.
The Consul-General and the Six Com
panies officials are expected 10 visit the
council chamber and bow down to the
tablet Of the Emperor, which is equival ent
to homage paid to the dragon throne in
Peking.