The Indianapolis journal., 1902-12-27
Manner Of Observing the Festival I'm
the Orient.

New York Evening Post
Men change their religious faiths, but
not their national tastes and habits. An
army of Chinese have forsaken Buddha for
the cross and adopted the ceremonies ana
symbolism of the latter without relinquish-
ing the decorative customs OF the older
worship. They open Christmas day with
a mighty salvo of f1recrackers as they do
their own New Year, and serve on the yule-
tide board the roast pig sacred to the gods
of their race.
On Good Friday they wear white sack
cloth and snowy mourning neck scarfs as
they do at funerals. On Easter there are
more firecrackers as well as lilies, bright
flowers, eatables and fruits.
In the places where American, English
and German missionaries have proselytized
the Christmas tree has been introduced to
the Orient and has proven welcome Wis
itor. 1t was not altogether a stranger In
the far East. In the festivals OF the north
wind in the midwinter, Of the returning
sun at the winter solstice and Of the first
day of the new year, the branches OF ever
green trees and even whole trees have been
employed for centuries ornaments. A
small fr, spruce or cedar has long been
used as a roof talsman to insure good luck
or f1ens,suey to the the !, house be beneath ss. a
green branch crossed with threads
strung with scraps of scarlet paper is a
familiar decoration.
When, therefore, the converted Chinaman
came to embellish the Christmas tree he
found himself at home. Instead Of strings
Of popped corn he employs strings of
popped rice some plain and dead white,
others glittering with sugar and still others
deftly stained in scarlet and gold.
Rice offers endless opportunities to a
plaster of Paris of American Christmas
trees. The rice flour is made into a gluti-
nous dough. which is cut into segments.
fastened, and then fried In boiling lard.
1t expands into hollow yellow or brswn
sphere, resembling an orange.
Cold boiled rice. white or colored, is cut
shapes and dipped in boiling sugar.
Popped rice is strung on long straws and
then made into crosses. anchors, wreaths.
stars and lozenges Another kind of grace
full ornamentation Is made by threading
little circles, squares or hearts OF scarlet,
gold or ultramarine paper with the finest
from branch to branch, from tree to walls,
and around the walls just below the cell
ing. At few feet the threads are in
visible and the gayly tinted scraps of paper
seem floating in the air.
Another use of the thread idea Is de-
lghtful I'm its oddity and grace. A light
gray sewing silk Is made into a giant cob
web which may be in a corner of the room
near the ceiling between several
branches of a tree. To 1t are fastened
gaudy spiders made OF fluffy cotton. In
hardy flowers are attached to the threads
Leaves cut from scarlet, yellow gray and
brown paper are stitched here and there to
OF pendants attached to the tree the va
riety is great and striking. The favorite is
candied or gingered fruit-red plums tiny
oranges. pieces OF carambola mandarin
orange, blood orange. figs, strings of water
melon seeds, white and black; squash seeds.
almonds, peach pits and cherry pits: cakes
OF every shape and color: candies and other
sweetmeats. Bright effects are obtained
by liberal use of gold and silver tinsel,
diminutive mirrors and little flags. The
tinsel is applied directly to the trunk and
branches. sprinkled on the fir needles, or
wrapped around wooden frameworks.