The evening times., 1897-01-26
THE CHINESE NEW YEAR
1t Will BE Celebrated Here i'm
Style Next Monday.
0BSERVANCES OF THE DAY
In His Best Bib and Tucker the Ce-
lestial VIII Make Calls just Like
"Melican Man"-No illumination
and Fireworks, But There VIII
BE Feasting Galore

| Monday next, the first day of February,
1 the advent OF New Year in the Flowery
Kingdom. Gong He Tai Toi,' which,
being interpreted. means, Happy New
Year will be on hundreds of Celestial
tongues, as their owners fit from store to
store, fton shop to shop, or congregate in
the joss house on Four-and-a-half street,
TO offer up prayers to their gods for a
propitiouS New Year.
The center of our Chinatown is in the vi
cinity OF Pennsylvania avenue and Four
and-a-half streets northw west. The Chi
nese merchants in this quarter as well as
the proprietorS of laundries throughout the
city, have been busy for several days, and
this week renewed activity is apparent in
the various Celestial establishments in
preparation for the celebration. There
will be general cleaning up. and the shops
will be gaHy decorated with lanterns and
flags in honor OF the birth of the New Year.
Quong Sang Lung, the richest merchant
OF the colony Quong kee, the oldest local
Chinese merchant; Hip Chong Lung, Duck
Chong, and other high muck a -rnucks OF
the colony, will entertain in a lavish mann er.
The temple or joss house, on Four-and-t-
half street, will be arranged an gala attire,
and feast lasting the entire week VIII he
spread. At midnight OF their New Years
eve, Sunday night, the CeleStals VIII wend
their way TO the joss house, where they viii
participate in a religious service. Prayers
viii he offered in behalf Of their friends in
fag-away China, and for an outpouring OF
blessings upon their own personal business
efforts in this country.
No collection viii be taken up at this
service, nor ut any of the subsequent SER
vices, as all the necessary expenses are an
ticipated in a general ''c1ipping-in'' OF
funds on the part Of all the CeleSIials in the
city for the maintenance of the New Years
celebration. After the joss house services
the formal calls will begin. These consti-
tute a part Of the duty and recreation for
the week. The 1oss-house during the fes-
tivaI week will be resplendent with Chi
nese lanterns, candles and punk.
The auditorium will be filled with tea
tables, whereon a profusion OF tea and to-
baccO viii await consumption by the deyo
tees Thus the spiritual and the material
man Will he satisfied simultaneously. At
all hours through New Years day and for
two weeks thereafter the joss-house VIII be
open for pra yers and feasting
on New Years day the Celestial, after
attending the JOSH house services, viii start
out on his round Of calls. Nor does he for
get on the way to mail New Years cards to
his friends in China or other parts of the
world Refreshments are served at the
different places where open house is being
kept, and dollars are metamorphosed into
feasts with lavish hand. The menu in
cludes candy, cigars and other delicacies
calculated to make the Celestial yibrate
with delight.
As The visitor enters the house etiquette
demands that he make a flourishing saaam
by crossing his hands before him and max
ing a sweeping bow to the floor. This
courtesy is returned by the host. The dis
course consists mainly Of expressions in
dicative OF a hope in the increase Of the
financial resources OF the other during the
new year After these salutations the yisi
tor feaSts wee bit and takes his depart
ure for the next "Upen house"
The local colony differs from the col
onies Of Baltimore, New York, San Fran
cisco and certain other cities, by reason Of |
the fact that here the magnificent dis
tanCeS" between the Celestial establish |
ments preclude the possibility OF an ef- |
feCtive display Of Chinese lanterns and |
other decorations. The sentiment OF the |
colony IN regard to the celebration of the |
glad new year was expressed by Quong |
Kee. the dean of the local Celestial mer- |
camille corps, and an intelligent citizen, |
to a Times reporter last night.
I'VE will not celebrate here" said Mr.. |
Kee, ION the grand scale in vogue in some |
other big cities like San Francisco and New
MT ~ fa bat i
countrymen are so widely scattered about /
the city. And we do not expect to make
a big display of Chinese lanterns nor fire |
off fireworks in the streets, We under /
stand the Commissioners don't like fire /
works in the streets. But we will attend
worship at our joss house, or church. as you
call it, and will call on one another, and
celebrate as much as we can"