The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-12-22

Inc CnlneSe boys and g1rlS-eSpeclal-
ly the boys-get lots Of fun out of their
yearly festivals, and the little urchin5
loOl. 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 dis
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 tho moon, and the little pig
allied 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-shaped
cakes which are made only for this oc-
rasion. They are very prettily deco
rated, but oh! so awfully indigestible
that the next day the little fellows who
are suffering from stomach ache are apt
to think that there was toad in the
cake instead Of the moon
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 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 a year, ever since,
have had Dragon Boat Festival, and
the children so out in sWarms to see the
long boat professions on the rivers, and
to watch the offerings of rice and otker.
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
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 shopkeeper looks
forward to it with great satisfaction, be-
cause he knows that his customers, If
they have any self-respect, will be sire
to pay their debts before the new year;
for it is considered a 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, J"
and then you can laugh, and tell him that
he is wrong.
Well, New Years ever comes first n
China, and, dear me, what time OF
the little slant-eyed boys and girle
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
PAIL sit up waiting for the first hour OF
the new lay, 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
T1en.the door is opened, and the whole
family and servants 60 out outside and
bow down to q 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,
somea from that quarter Of the heav-
| ems.
Then the noise begins, and when was
= China ! often used to think that 4 VAS