The San Francisco call., 1898-01-21
THE CHINESE
 NEW YEAR DAYS
The Mongolian Element O. the City Is Much
 Agitated.
The Holiday Season Comes on With Renewal of the Old Society
 War.

Chinatown Is agitated almos. :o fighting point over the perplexing question which
 is the proper day to celebrate their New Year. The dispute has already divided the
 Mongolian quarter along the old lines of the Sam Yup and See Yup feud, and the
 upshot is that two different New Year days will be kept and two calendars fol- lowed by these two factions throughout
 the year in the Chinese communities of
 the United States.
 It appears that ever since the Chinese came to California in 1S49 there has been a mistake of a d-y in the local almanacs It is well known to trans-Pacific passen- gers coming from Japan to the United States that when the 1S0th meridian Is
 crossed in mid-Pacific one day is added to that week and one day is dropped in going west. The Chinese, regardless of our geographical and astronomical sci ence, counted right on, making no allow ance for changes of time and place with the result that their computation of time is a day too fast. About four months ago the new Chinese Minister, ,Win-Ting- Fang acting under the orders of the Tsung-n Yamen at Picking, set himself to rectify- ing the local calendar The different Con- suls in the United States, Mexico and Peru were commanded to instruct their fellow countrymen in these places to ob- serve Saturday, January 22, as the off, cial day. The local consulate accordingly issued proclamation to that effect about It is this ko shi that has driven China town frantic. Whole cargoes Of almanacs and calendars printed in China are worth less, and the booksellers are filled with rage Moreover all kinds of woes and
 disasters are predicted to follow this inn pious interference with the infallible aI- manac of the gods.
 The Chinese legation Is desirous of making the home and foreign celebrations SynchroniZe as nearly as possible, and also to avoid the bad form of celebrating
 here before the year has begun in China.
 It must be borne in mind that every Chi
 nese New Year adds another year to the Emperors age. and reign. Now, if the event Is observed here on Friday the off,
 cial telegraphic dispatch of congratula- soon, and the local consular officials, new year morning to proceed to the Six Companies chamber on Commercial street and prostrate themselves before the Elm peror tablet, would be rendering homage | to their soverei~n many hours before the | twenty-fourth year of Quong Sui had dawned. This Is why the officials are de- | sirous of rectifying the calendar.
 | It is all very puzzling to the average Chinaman. Everybody knows that his
 year and month follows the moon. Their
 new year always happens at the first new
 moon after the sun enters Aquarius, | that Is, between the 21st of January and
 the 18th of February. and as the new | moon occurs on Friday, the Fist. at Il :25 | ?: m.. the majority of Chinese insist that i Friday is the proper day. The more en- | frightened Chinese understand the prob | lem and are disposed to obey the minis | ters mandate, but there is a mass of ig | norant, superstitious rabble who pin their 1 faith to an oracle like the European Zad- l klel. and are breathing defiance at the | minister for his daring interference with | the ''decrees of Heaven" and the "order | or nature in attempting to lengthen the | year. The populace attribute this to his excellency's Christian faith and we'll
 known foreign proclvities. Both he and | the local officials have been denounced in
 hN~r wN1rN- -1z
 walls of Chinatown.
 To pacify the excited community the | original proclamation has been withdrawn and another issued explaining that the | Minister and Consul General have no per l sonal interest in the matter and are sim | ply acting under orders from Picking. As | the matter now stands TO compromise is | possible. The Sam Yups and the Chris | tian missions will keep Saturday as New
 Years day, while the obstinate See Yups
 will keep Friday and follow the old calen- | dar throughout the year. and cursed is | every other son of Han who departs from
 orthodox traditions to, follow the crazy ! notions of foreign devils.
 A curious ceremony was observed two l nights ago in the homes of the Chinese.
 Kwan. the god of the kitchen, the prin- l cipal household deity. is supposed to as- ] cend to the skies and make his report to
 Yuk Wong. the Pearly Emperor. of the
 conduct of the household during the year. i Everything that has transpired. good or bad, must be faithfully reported to this supreme ruler or the terrestrial EOCS. l Little Tsow Kwan Is made of paper and 1 is burned along with a paper horse. Su- 1 perstitious women believe they see him seated on his horse. mounting up through
 the flames and smoke 10 the sky. Before l he departs 1t is customary to regale him l with large quantities of sticky candy and l sugar, :he purpose of which is to cause
 his lips to stick together so close that he | will be unable to utter word to Yuk 1 Wong. In some homes a feast Is prepar-
 ed for him and ditties sung or burned in
 his honor. The following is a transla- | ton of one of such effusions:
 Come. god of the kitchen. dear grand
 father Wong,
 Come, here is your candy. and here is
 your Tong.
 Now fit up to heaven, begone in a trice. ] Forget all that's naughty, tell only
 what's nice.
 On the last night of the year Tsow
 Kwan will return and take his place in
 the new kitchen shrine prepared for him.
 Another feast Is set and sacrifices of
 fered to secure his good will and protec-
 ton of the household during the coming
 year. The leading idea among the Chi
 nese at New Years time is that with the
 new year fresh lease of life begins, the
 record of the years conduct is complet-
 ed the ledger Is closed and a new era ! dawns. This week all accounts must be
 settled, debts paid and old grudges for
 given. A general cleaning up Is going on | in Chinatown, stores are being cleaned
 whitewashed and painted, the accumula- i lations of a years cobwebs and dust
 swept away, these ablutions to conclude
 with a fusilade of firecrackers to drive
 11~Ir