Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-12-31
NEW YEAR CUSTOMS.
HOW OUR EUROPEAN INNING GRANTS
KEEP THE DAY.


KEEP THE DAY.
The Chinese Adhere to the Old ChrO-
no3Ogy-Japanese Festfvities-The
French Reta Ia TIL cir Partisan Ways.
How Other Aliens Usher In the Year.
While Christmas appears to be slightly
losing in popularity, New Years day
seems to get firmer hold each year upon
the affections of the American people.
This is largely due to the increasing num-
bers of foreigners in our population.
Christmas belongs to the cold countries Of
the north, New Years to the warmer
lands. The former is English and north
German; the latter belongs to the Latin
races The army of Italians, Hungarians
and Russians who come to our shores still
further increase the difference described.
All of them learn to celebrate the day In
more or less American fashion, but nearly
every nationality adds enough of It's own
customs and ceremonies to give the day
flavor such as it would have in their own
land.
The Chinese do not take much stock in
our chronology. They do all their cele-
brating upon their own New Years day,
which comes in the latter part of January
or the first of February. They make and
receive calls and set a little table for
friends. on which the chief delicacies are
few crystallized fruits, handful Of lai-chi
nuts, cigarettes and cigars. In calling
they shake hands like the western bar
barians or else shake their own hands to
show regard and affection each for the
other Those who have white wives go to
even further lengths. To be more accu
rate, 1t is the wives that do the celebrating,
while the mild Monaghan husband stands
helplessly by. To all who come she offers
whisky, beer and cigars. For her init
mates she usually provides some Chinese
"chow," which is the generic word of that
district for all Monaghan food. The Chi
nese husband stays around good portion
of the day, eats and drinks with his guests
and offers friendly opium pipe to who
ever is pleased to use that fascinating drug.
He is sorely tempted to set off firecrackers
in the front street, but long and unpleas-
ant experience with the policeman's clubs
In that precinct overcomes his natural love
for noise.
The little japanese colony in New York
city follow the example of their neighbors
with that singular power Of imitation for
which they are famous. They put on their
best apparel and visit and receive calls with
| all the JUNCTION of an old Knickerbocker.
| They rather improve upon the latter In
| the decoration of their home upon the day.
| Like us, they employ evergreens as sym
| boil of the returning life of the year. The
| symbolism is REINFORCED by one of their
| Oldest figures. This is a circle SO divided
| by curving line as to make what irrev
| erent people have called two tadpoles. In
reality they are two fishes lying head to
| tail, and SO bent around as to form a cir
| Gle. The circle is the symbol Of eternity
or of Immortality, and the two fishes ART
the male and female principles Of the uni
verse; The figure is a very graceful ont
and is worked in embroidery, painted OF
silk or stenciled upon paper. Other de
signs are fishes or paper balloons in th'
shape of fishes.
In the French quarter around souti
/. Fifth avenue the day is observed by oul
Gallo citizens with all the ardor Of tru,
Parisians. Everybody dons purple ant
fine linen, calls numberless are made, ant
the day closes in dancing and genera
good time.
The everlasting bonbon and the bon
bonniere are everywhere. The boxes ar,
not as extravaganza as in Paris or as il
some of the ultra fashionable emporium
of Broadway and Fifth avenue. The res
taurants and cafes are well patronized
| but by callers rather than customers. Ev
cry one deems it his duty to run in an6
have glass of wine or pony of beer, ani
sometimes a little absinth, with the pro
prietor.
New Years among the French is mark
ed by the appearance of various kinds 0
homemade liqueurs There is not Frencl
family housewife or cook but possesse
some ancient recipe for making these en-
joyable liquids. On this day they are al
brought out and offered with pardonabl
pride to friends and neighbors All ar
very palatable and some are really deli
cious.
Irish residents in America make 1t
point when they can to offer something II
memory of the "old Sod" Sometimes i
is pigs head and greens, sometimes it i
bacon and spinach, sometimes 1t Is phi
and cabbage or ham and cabbage, but 1t i
always poteen, and lots galore of it.
A number Of years ago there were sew
eral Irish clubs that on New Years da.
served their mem bers with dinner of ba
con and greens, but they have been falling
off, and believe only one now exists.
is on, Fourth avenue near Union squar
and is still patronized by men who crossed
the ocean as immigrants 80 and 40 year
ago.
In the italian colonies, Of which Their
are now three, if not four, the day is com
memorated very much as it is by tn
French, but with more color and vivacit,
and with fewer and less expensive presents
Both men and women wear the bright ap
parel peculiar to their own district in Italy
Goats of velvet, velveteen and corduroy
vests of silk, satin and marseilles, hug
sashes of every imaginable color or com
bination of colors, boots worthy of cav
airy trooper and leggings which nigh
serve gamekeeper are among the strang
but picturesque articles of wear which 20,
meet at every point.
In deep contrast with the Italian, loving
color, light, music and excitement, is th
Malay and lascar colony. 1t is composed
of seamen, cooks and quartermasters from
vessels engaged in trading with the ia
east and varies in number from 100 to sew
eral hundred. On New Years day som
of them go through queer ceremony tina
appears to have come down from the Brah
man days of India. They decorate o small
male statue and say before it few word
whose meaning they themselves do no
seem to understand. They call the statu
Rauma, and it appears to be the old In
dian god or demigod Rama, the hero O
the famous poem of the "Ramayana
The rest of the day they devote to gam
bling and tobacco and sometimes to opium
The people from the far north of Europe