Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1904-12-17
S Day in
~ BY
NIllItd Rev. Frederick Poole.
. Frederick Poole.

The Chinese boys aud girls especial
ly the boys-get lots Of fun out of their
yearly festivals. and rhe little urchius
look forward TO their holiday times with
as much gIee ami happiness as does
Young America TO the Fourth of July,
Decoration day. Washington s Birthday.
Christmas and New Years.
There is the Lantern Festival, when
all turn out 10 witness the brilliant dis
play fOrthc whole country Is ablaZe with
the light of thousands of paper lanterns
made i'll all sorts of fancy shapes. Then
there is the Moon Festival. when they
worship the moon, and the little pig
tailed boy and his chubby, small-f0otcd
sister look ny and see, not man, but
toad. in the moon; for there is a story
OF beautiful Chinese ladg who drank
some medicine which would keep her
free from death. and then Went to the
moon. where She was turned into toad.
and ever since the Chinese have seen
toad in the moon
Bur perhaps the chie' reason why the
LITTLE folks in China look forward to the
Moon Festival is because they get all
they want Of those little moon-shapCG
cakes which are made only for this o.
casiou. They are very prottily deco
rated. but on, so aWfuliy indigestible
that the next day the little fellows who
are suffering from stomach ache are apt
to think that there was a toad in the
cake instead OF the moon.
The Chinese boys and girls may never
have heard OF George Washington ana
the holiday We keep in memory OF thu
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 GcOlded
and degraded by an urgraJoful emperor,
so that in sorrow and disgrace he
drowned himself Wei. his body wa
never fouud; and so 10 keep his mem
DRY. the Chinese. once a year, cyCrsinco.
have had a Dragon Boat Festival. ami
the children 90 out in swarm- to see the
long boat professions on the rivers. and
10 watch tho 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 Year Day.
think. if you were 10 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 shopkecper looks
forward to it with great satisfaction. be-
cause he knows that his customers, II
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 Chris mas"
and then you can laugh, and tell him that
he is wrong.
We'll, New Years ever comes first IN
China. and. dear me what a time Of
frolic and nervous expectancy it is for
the little slaut-eyed boys and girls.
l.DI
mess. but none must be let off before the
proper time.
Nobody goes to bed that night but
all sit up waiting for the first hour OF
he 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 go 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 was
in China I often used to think that it was