Mower County transcript., 1904-12-28
NewYear' Day in
BY
Rev. Frederick Poole.
o. -. : -: 81
~ - EE


The Chinese boys and gEls-especial-
ly the boys-get lots Of fun out Of their
yearly festivals, and the little urchins
look forward to their holiday times with
rs much glee and happiness as does
Young America to the Fourth of July,
Decoration day, Washiagton's Birthday,
Christmas and New Years.
~ There is the Lantern Festival. when
all turn out to witness the brilliant dis
Play for tho whofe country is ab1azs with
tho light: Of thousands of paper lanterns
made in all sorts of fancy shapes. Thea
there is the Neon Festival, when they
worship the moon, and tho little pig
tailed boy and his chubby, smaA~feoted
sister look up ana see, INST man, but 4
toad, in the moon; for there is story
Of beauti{Al Chinese lady whe drank
sane medicine which would keep her
free from death, and then went to the
moon. where she was turned into toad.
and eher siace the Chinese have seen a
toad in the Moon
BHt perhaps the chief reason why the
little folks in China look forward to the
Moon Festival is because they get all
they want Of those little mCon-shaped
cakes which are made only for this oc-
casiUn. They ere very pretilv deco
rated, but oh! so awfuliy indigestibls
that the next day the little fellows who
are suffering from stomach ache are apt
to think that there was a tuat. in the
cake instead Of the mCoG
The Chinese boys and girls may never
have heard OF George Washington and
the holiday We keep in memory Of the
Father of his Country. but they know
all about the wise and good Chinese Of
fetal who lived about $50 years before
our first Christmas, and who was seelded
and degraded by an ungrateful emperor
SO that in sorrow and disgrace he
drowned himself Well. his body was
never found; and so, to keep his men,
ory. the Chinese, once a year. ever since
have had Dragon Boat Festival. and
the children go out in sWarms to see the
long boat professions on the rivers. and
to watch the offerings of rice and other
foods as they are placed on the waters
for the benefit of the spirit OF the lost
minister of state.
But the great day of all days for the
children in China is New Years Day.
think, if you were to ask a little Chi
nese boy what he meant by "New
Years. he would say: Noise. and
plenty Of it, For weeks the Chinese are
preparing for this great event Houses
are cleaned. and the sbopkeeper looks
forward to it with great satisfaction. be-
cause he knows that his customers. if
they have any self-respect, will be sure
to pay their debts before the new year:
for it is considered great disgrace to
start the new year in debt.
The Chinese know nothing about
Christmas, because. you know. that
beautiful holiday belongs only to Chris
tian countries.
BY the way, boys, ask your father
which comes first, Christmas or New
Years. He-is sure to say christmas,
and thenyou can laugh and tell him that
he is wrong. -. -
Well, New Years ever comes first IN
China, and. dear me. what a time Of
frolic and nervous expectancy it is for
the little: slant-eyed boys and girls!
Lots OF fireor2ekers are laid by in read
i1ess. but none must be let off before the
proper time. Ct. .s,~ lz..s~.. ;.
Nobody goes to bed that night, but
b.
all sit up waiting for the first hour of
the new day. when the father and his
wife and little ones, all worship before
the spirit tables of their ancestors. and
then at the shrine of the household gods.
Then the door is opened, and the whole
family and: servants so out outside and
bow down to a certain part in the heav-
ems which has been Indicated in the Chi
nese@ calendar, and SO worship heaven
and earth, and receive the spirit of glad.
ness and good fortune, which. they say,
comes from that quarter of the heav-
ems.
Then the noise begins, and when I was
in China II Offpn 1ISpd IN Fiji n r th afi 4 uo .