Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-02-12
FEAST OF KWONG COON,
ApPEASlNC THE ANGER OF THE KING
OF EVIL SPIRITS.

The Kwong Coon festival, says II
Los Angeles Cal letter in the Chi
,ago Times Herald. has Just been
celebrated by Celestials of the Pacific
r)ast. OF all the 1888 divinities of
the Flowery Kingdom, none is held
with such dread on this side of the
water as the mighty king OF evil
spirits. the great joss, kwong Coon.
Terrible is his anger if unappeased.
Dire is his vengeance if neglected.
Once in every three years n great
feast is prepared by local Chinese as
an Offering to the dreaded train OF
demons who are emissaries and SER
wants of the great god.
Preparations for the feast had
stirred Chinatown for many days. Pig
tailed coolies chattered irreverently
on street corners and iested Mt the ex-
pense of Kwong Coon. Priests TASTED
in seclusion. Then the morning of
the festival dawned.
1t is related among the Mongolans
that Kwong Coon once, when ne
elected, caused his demons to devour
nil the fish in the sea. Some Of the
iinny inhabitants OF the water escaped
in the turmoil and hid in the dark
caverns of the ocean. The few which
survived multiplied and saved tue sea
from depopulation. Since then every
third year Celestials embark upon the
water and hold their festival to kwong
Coon there to pacify him and to keep
his anger within bounds.
| Down at the waters edge crowds OF
Celestials gathered. They buried
their long nailed fingers within the
folds of their voluminous sleeves and
eyed the bay and the ocean suspic-
iously. They We're awaiting stolidly
the arrival of Whan Ii, he who is
high priest to the god. The yellow
junk, Fung-Hi, lay at anchor 1t was
to bear Kwong Coon upon the bosom
of the waters
The sky was gray and snllen. The
day seemed unpropitious, when at
once the sun, as if favoring especially
the rites of the Mongolians, beamed
out upon the rippling, rolling bay
Just as Whan Ii, with eight attend
ants in full canonicals, dashed up to
the wharf in hack.
Behold the mighty god, Kwong
Coon, with hateful brazen grimace,
borne in commonplace cab to the
place of high festival by more COM
monplace jehu Of Irish extraction. 1t
was lulicrOus. 1t was an aftront to
the gods dignity. But the procession
which followed! Shades of Confucius!
That was an atfront to the dignity OF
the whole Flowery Kingdom.
First, players of squealing reeds
rent the air with prolonged diabolical
shrieks 1t seemed as if all the furies
of Hades had been let loose. But the
police rarely ever interfere with Mon
golian antics. They seem to resent it
meanly. SO they are treated as
spoiled children and permitted to mur-
der the peace.
Then they blockaded the sidewalk
as far as the eye could reach with
single-fle procession of the feast
bearers. Each man bore huge plat
ter, upon which were piled high rare
and toothsome viands. Most impOr-
tantly came the sweetmeat bearers.
They carried their burdens on line
with the nose, and only glimpses of
indescribable dainties came to the
eye. Only the curious would have
cared to taste. But the eyes of the
watchful Mongolians fairly gloated.
the honored crew intrusted with the
roast pigs, fat young pork, odoriferous
with oil and spices and garlanded with
crowns of roses. And then the roast
ducks. What grotesqueness! There
they stood upon the immense platters,
balanced on one toe, or curving their
necks in nasty leers, without regard to
decency. These We're the attitudes
which expressed the epitome of relig-
ious fervor.
Such was the ensemble of an Ameri-
canized Chinese pageant. 1t moved
maiestlcally toward the junk, with the
noble joss in the lead. 1t stopped at
the edge. Then at signal from
Whan Ii the sacred image was lifted
into the junk and placed against the
mast. The feast was carried aboard
and placed at the feet of the idol.
Punk sticks were lighted and yards of
prayer paper placed on the improvised
affairs.
The ropes were cast off, and the yell
low Fung-Hi, tossing her gaudy Ian
terms and tinsel, foated out on the
golden bay. Intense silence reigned
as hundreds of Celestial eyes followed
the sea journey of Kwong Coon.
An anchor was cast Mt about a quar-
ter of mile, and then began the true
business of the occasion. The pigs,
the ducks, the rare sweetmeats, all
were cast with profound obeisance
and religious mutterings upon the
bosom of the waters. They were cast
into the gluttonous nav of Kwong
Goon's evil spirits.
The pigs, the ducks, the rice, the
vegetables foated around on the sur
face, mussing mp the clean sway of
the water. Of in the distance on Il
wharf horde of street urchins had
gathered, waiting for that feast to
float to their expectant arms. At last
a nice fat porkling rolled up against |
pier. A hook and line was in readi-
ne.s, and it was hauled ashore.
There was a groan, Those eager
urchins fell back A miracle had
taken place. They spat upon the
thing and tossed it overheard. Pa
pier-mache, stuffed with cotton and
painted in deceptive colors, was its
makeup. Kwong Goon's demons
must have snorted when the Celestials
fed them paper pigs and ducks.
Trust Chinaman to practice decep-
ton. 1t is his birthright.