The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-06-30
CRACKERS IN CHINA.
USED. TO DRIVE
OUT Devils
Red Fire Crackers Associated
With Religious Ceremonies
Of Orient.

of Orient.
1t is said that the Chinese are al
ways inventing something to break
the Christian peace of mind, and there
are good many persons-pessfmistic
chaps, who forget they were ever
snub-nosed, freckled faced urchins,
with longing for compressed gun
powder-who look upon the Chinese
firecrackers as the invention of the
evil one. AS matter of fact, the red
f1recracker Is more definitely associ-
ated with Chinese religious obsery-
ances than with Chinese sport. In
stead of being the invention of the
evil one, In China the firecracker is
used mostly for the purpose of 'driv-
ing out devils" an employment which,
though 1t may contain a few of the
essentials to sport, is not to be con-
founded with the use that Young
America makes of the article on the
glorious Fourth. Indeed, the Chinese
boys and girls are not allowed even to
touch these implements of religious
warfare
Even those who are not interested
in firecrackers have noticed the little
sheets of red paper pasted on the
front of every package of genuine
Canton firecrackers-red peach paper
1t is called by the Chinese. These
lables-to use an Occidental business
term-are splashed with golden
Therapeutics. The natural inference
Is that these labels relate to the manu-
facturer; but were you to ask informa-
ton of denizen of Chinatown, he
would answer you reverently that in
that bit of red paper is the spirit that
dwells in all eternal things. The
Chinatown, when once you have scaled
the barrier of guileless urbanity and
alomst childish simplicity, is a mys-
tic Of the mystics and to him that
brick-red patch of paper is an eloquent
symbol. 1t Is at once a charm with
which to cOnjure away the evil. spirits
and a tallsman with which to sum-
mon the favor of his personal and
his household gods.
And 1t is red. Therein lies the
secret of its efficacy. Red is the color
of China. No color, not even the
imperial yellow or the royal pea
cock purple, lies so near to the heart
of the Chinese as red. This devotion
is explained by the fact that the peach
paper represents to them the Tree of
Life. In associating mystical mean
ing with this color and symbolizing it
as the Tree of Life, the Chinese phil
osopher is only following train of
thought to its logical conclusion.
The Tree of Life is the tree of man,
and red is not only the color of blood,
but of universal life. 1t is, therefore,
the color of salvation operating to
secure the health of body and soul.
ic fha <>f
peach paper that the Cinnamon tacks
order to guard against the intrusion
of evil. Red, in fact, is used on every
joyful occasional marriage, at a
feast or at the birth of male child.
When the newcomer is girl the
house is decorated with white, which
is the symbol of mourning. Girls are
not considered of much value in China
Red is the color of the longevity
candles" with which the devout fol-
lower of Confucius propitiates his
joss; red is the color of the birthday
eggs, the giving of which is religious
ceremony in China, and the eyes of
the idols are always painted red. Be-
fore this color has been applied the
idol is but SO much common wood or
stone; after, such is the power of the
paint, the idol is endowed with all the
virtue of god. Red is the color of
the Chinaman's visiting card; red is
the color of his pipe and of all his
dearest possessions.
The method by which the Chinese
destroy the malign power of the evil
spirits is rather interesting. The
ceremony is always performed on
the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth
month, which is called in the Chinese
calendar the "day when the spirits
are seen out" At midnight of the
twenty-third day the favorable house.
hold gods ascend to heaven to report
upon the conduct of the family, and
they do not return to earth until New
Years Eve, leaving their charges
meanwhile to the tender mercies of
the evil spirits, who, in common with
the good deities, are supposed to in
habit the house at least six months
of the year. AS the Chinese are afraid
of disturbing their good spirits in at
lacking the evil ones, they wait until
the benign gods have good start on
their celestial journey before they
open vigorous campaign against the
demons. Long strings of firecrackers.
big cannon crackers-are festooned
from the caves of the houses and then
the fuse Is ignited. The entire line
is soon ablaze, the crackers splutter-
ing, fixing and booming; and any
misshapen imp of the night that can
wriggle through the Gordon of fire ia
regarded as SO clever that the China
man will adopt him as personal god.
While the crackers are booming, the
Chinese family will add to the cacop-
honous celebration by beating gongs,
drums and cymbals; and after the evil
spirits are vanquished, balls of colored
fire are shot into the sky, message
to the absent household gods to In
form them that they have sole claim
to the house for the next six months.
AS an illustration of the radical diff
ference between two Oriental nations,
the red peach paper Is unknown In
Japan. The Japanese do not believe
that evil spirits fear red paper;. spit
ting firecrackers or shrieking bombs;
but they believe that the malign spirits.
shrink before the, unfolded beauty Of
the lotus and the glory of the chrysan-
themum. The japanese are poetical
as we'll as mystical, whereas, the moon
eyed gentleman of the middle king
dom is stole In his symbolism. The
Chinaman has one idea in common
with the Japanese Of the old regime,
however, and that IL that the blood Of
q foreign devil" smeared ON the Intel
Of his house, Is the most propitious
omen for him and his kindred that
can be obtained; and 1t was this
fanaticism that to some extent ac-
tuated the Boxers In their massacres
q few years ago.