The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-01-02
NEW YEARS IN CHINATOWN.
A Week Of Fcnsting, Prayer and OF. j
5 ferings TO the Gods--Impor-
tance Of Fortune Telling.

color and a penchant for novelty, a
trip through the Chinese quarter OF.
New York during the celebration OF
the Chinese new year, beginning
February 16 and continuing one.
week, is we'll worth the taking, says
writer In the New York Globe.
These quaint people who cling so
persistently to the customs Of their
mother country are among the most
picturesque residents of the city. and
the few blocks where several thou
sand mako their home are just as
complete and characteristic of China
as a corner OF Hong Kong transport
ed to this country would be. During
this important time OF year the
streets are gayly decorated with red
paper and yellow flags, the frost Is
forgotten, and men, women, and
children .throng the sidewalks scat
tering luck paper and eating sweet
meats, the flowing silks of their holi-
day garments reminding one of the
good old summertime, for new years
soffers much the same opportunity to
the Chinese to display fashions as
Easter does to the Americans. Two
dignified Chinese merchants meet on
the street, stop for q moment. and
bow their heads repeatedly toward
each other, meanwhile each shaking
his own hands, as they excl. snge
greetings of the new year-"Csr ne
70 Happy good luck to you
and your family"
However Americanized China
man becomes ne does not forget to
pay tribute to the various gods OF his
native religion during the new year
season. 1t means luck for tho COM
ing twelve months, and whatever
his American religion has taught
him, he still has a feeling down deep
in his heart that the gods OF his
fathers must not be snubbed too
completely. He seeks out the Chinese
quarters and with the rest, takes
part in the feasting and the cere-
monies. 1t IS almost an invariab'e
rule with the Chinese that all debts
shall be cancelled before the new
year, for 1t is the worst kind of bad
luck to begin another twelve months
without clean slate.
New Years means week of feast
Ing and prayer. The highbinder lays
down his hatchet and the spirit of
peace hovers over him as 1t does over
the respectable merchant who works
for a living. From almost every cor
ner and crsnnyof the complicated oil
roolar;oc rf tba rbinoea n,ortor ti,,y
streams of incense curl and spread,
filling the air with their pungent
odor. The Chinese believe that the
luck god likes much demonstration,
so TO please him, and to insure his
favor for the coming year It is neces-
sary to fire off many fire crackers ana
to make as much noise as possible.
Mock money, which is mar ufacturei
by the sheet for this purpose, AMI
seems to please the gods quite as
wen as the genuine greenbacis, is
also incinerated. There is the luck
god, the health god, the child god,
the kitchen and many other gods for
whom rice wine, sweetmeats, fruits,
and rice are set forth. In the Chinese
set before the ancestral tablets. To
the God OF Heaven and Earth, tho
wealthy families generally provide a
large roast goose, and the families OF
moderate means a fish,
The Joss houses are scenes OF
much activity during the week, an
there is music everywhere. One OF
the most important duties of every
ChinGman, and one that Is seldom
neglected, is to have his fortune fore
told for the coming year. The wise"
man of the Chinese is very iwpor-
tant person, and he stands well in So
ciety. Although they are not often
seen by Americans. there are sew
eral of these prognosticators sea-
tered throughout Chinatown. In lit
tie rooms they hold forth. With a
small table in front of them. they
tell your fortune with a tin slate,
jar of luck sticks upon which SYM
bo's are written, and a sacred tor
toise shell in which there are thres
coins. BY choosing number OF th
sticks and deciphering the writin-
thereon. or by tossing the coin n
the sacred shell and throwing 1t out
upon a mat, the good and evil for the
coming year Is foretold.
The Old Year to the New.