The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-27
CHINESE DEVIL FEAST
TO PLEASE THE EVIL ONE
Great Banquet of Fruits, Flowers
and Strange Edibles Spread for
Angry Demons
STRANGE, SIGHTS SEEN

PENANG, China, Dec 26.-Ths latest
Chinese ceremony invariably seems the most
remarkable, and the feast of devils, elab-
orately celebrated in Penang, was no ex-
ception TO the rule. Numerous tables were
to be seen in Beach street last evening.
and upon these were rows of platters and
deep bowls of food, also family idols and
incense burners. Smoldering joss sticks
protuded from each dainty dish, grooming
with cakes, fruits and meat There were
only three kinds of meat proper-goats
flesh, mutton and pork. Devils cannot eat
flesh bulls" Noticeable were large quaint
ties of dried prawns and various kinds of
salt fish. Thousands of ducks and chick
ems must have been boiled whole-the combs
of the cocks were red with cochineal, and
their beaks opened as if crowingi The hens
heads were In easy attitudes, as if sitting
on nests. Fine geese, white and tender,
were much in evidence. Countless cakes of
every color under heaven, save only white
and blue (white is deep mourning and blue
secondary mourning) were heaped up every
where. Sunset yellow and "nigger red
predominated
Thirty-fve kinds of fruit figured in all.
There were watermelons, turkey red and
pitifully wilted. They and some green
Qipe) apples hailed from Australia:
CHINA furnished pears ly-chees and yellow
rind oranges; also pumpkins and large and
rosy persimmOns. Tampines, cats ewes
. DirWay and 'buah salak' represented
the size of small turnip and brown as a
nut, Sdts eyes are tropical variety
OF ly-cnee. Birway'' is a fruit with white
pulp The seed is unique; il is covered with
what might be called sort of ''forked ex-
celslor. Salak means wicked" IT is COW
ered with brown scales like snakeskin re-
~ tinhul .ls one oI Madame Tussauds chamber
The native fruits were pineapples. cranes
bread fruit cocoanuts. green rind Oranges
finger oranges $50 called because tho rind
is wrinkled till it looks like fingers1 b fsa.-
nanas with red skins, bananas with skins
thln as paper, bananas with golden flesh
anu bananas nearly a foot long, fried in
cocoanut oil before eating (sic) tree
melons, rose fruit, ounce. chee-ko. hanks
JamDoo, suntol, red rambOotans golden
tidiIlDoooans' rambar blasan. sour-soup.
jack fruit, chumpeda, mangostees and the
malodorous, eVer-present DURHAM MANY
trays had little flags over them and The
i Ia pies were abiaze with lights Opium and
intoxicants abounded. The devils We're in
luck The time was indicated bv staid
macnlne-made continental clocks and anx,
amount OF melody was discoursed by Euro
Pean gramaphones, grinding away weird
Cantonese music till the devils themselves
must have cried, Hold, Enoughp' A nur,
per OF tneaters were in full swing and
large D0nnres or joss papers burned in the
road. However, there was not a sound 90
fireworks, crackers being supposed TO scare
away the devils. and for that matter less
important imps above
Ihe traditional belief IS that thousands
OF unfortunate Chinese who die destitute
ana VINO have been huddled TO their graves
with barely any covering on them return
at TINS season of the year in the shane OF
Spirits and seek to take vengeance ON their
I ,'sni w-creatures who had treated their re-
mains with SUCH scant respect And woe
betide the unfortunate wretches who 49,
10 look aSkance at these spirits or who No.
lect the paramount duty, which IS incuro
bent upon them, OF making atonement for
their neglect in the past They shall he
strangled while in their homes" or Some
sudden misfortune will overtake them dur-
ing the presence of the spirits on earth
DIVERS pains and penalties will be their
portion throughout the course OF their
earthIy career and they'll rue the day they
treated the spirits with such harshness
In connection with this ceremony of pro-
pitlating the spirits Of the departed there
was also that of worshiping the dead an
cestors-tne Feng Shuttle happy favored
ones or the earth, who have left this yale
of tears for another Country with -
superabundance OF wealth with them nm
like their poorer brethren in the shane os
prodlglous quantities of joss papers secret
ed in their collins Seven DAVIS Vve~e -
apart for the observance OF this event aud
throughout the length and breadth OF the
nOWery land the ceremony of worshin-
ing the dead ancestors and the propitiation
OF his satanic majesty and the band of in
furlated demons following in his wake Is
observed with great pOmp. Ii might also
De stated that M the end of the seventh
moon, after good feed OF the soul OF
makan, the dreaded monsters OF the bot
tomless Dit return to their sulphurous
abode.