Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1904-12-30
NewYear's Day in
~ Ey
AluIld Rev. Frederick Poole.

e ~ q
The Chinese boys and girls-especial-
ly the boys-get lots of fun out CT their
yearly festivals, and the little urchiIs
look forward to their holiday times with |
as much glee and 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 to witness the brilliant els
play forthe whole country is ablaze with
the light of thousands of paper lanterns
made in 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-fcoted
sister look up and see, not man, but a
toad, in the moon; for there is a story
of a beautiful Chinese lady 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"
But 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 moon-shapel
cakes which are made only for this &C.
casion. They are very prettily deco
rated, but oh! so awfully indigestible
| that the next Gay 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 rever
have heard Of George Washington ana
| the holiday We keep in memory CT the
Father of his Country, but they know
all about the wise and good Chinese CT.
fetal who lived about 450 years before
our first Christmas, and who was scolded
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,
DRY, the Chinese, once year, ever since,
have had a 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 little Chi
| hnU 40 ha nj h,yG
Years" he would say: Noise, and
plenty of it," For weels the Chinese are
preparing for this great event. Houses
are cleaned, and the shopkeeper looks
forward to 1t with great satisfaction, be-
cause he knows that his customers, II
they Lave any self-respect, will be sure
to pay their debts before the new year;
for it is considered ii 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 then you can laugh, and tell him that
he is wrong
Well, New Years ever comes first IN
China, and, dear lie, what a time OF
irolic end nervous expectancy it is for
the little slant-eyed boys and girls,
Lots of frecrackers are laid by in read
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
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 go out outside and
bow down to 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 hen va:
in China often used to think that it wa,
, a good thing that the country was 81
Dig, for every one Of the i00,G00,000 art
setting off firecrackers at the same time
This is to frighten away evil spirits, an,
| have thought many time that those
E. spirits must have bad time of it durin!
, the dawn of the Chinese New Year, L
: the Chinese had been present at The timt
that Admiral SIMPSONS guns had their
bad coughing spell before the hills o
Santiago on certain day in July, the!
would have clapped their hands, aut
cried: Good, good Just like our New
Year's!"
Yet, notwithstanding the noise, al
ways liked the New Years in China, fol