The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-30
CELEST|ALS READY FOR THE NEW YEAR Strange Antics Will Begin on
 Friday Night WILL DRINK EXPENSIVE TEA Product Blessed By a Mandarin Is Worth $1oo a Pound-AIl Debts
 Must Be Paid By High
 Noon Saturday.
WILL DRINK EXPENSIVE TEA
Alice samee, happy New Yearl

Alice samee, happy New Yearl
 At 12 o'clock Friday night the year 4605 according to the slant-eyed calendar will quietly begin. Out of respect to his SOW ereign majesty King Quong suey no relation to choy suey), the smiling China man, will simply refer to the date as year S4 when writing his letters. laundry lists and orders for mice and opium. This is the age of his most gracious majesty, and in the Chinese handbook time always takes a fresh start with the birth of d new ruler.
 Birmingham has a colony of between 20 and 30 of the Celestials, who will gather unto themselves Friday night and pro- ceed to usher the New Year in with many strange motions and in guttural utter ances distinguishable only to themselves. One week is the time set for the celebra- tion in the fowery kingdom, but owing to the stress of business and the desire to become rich the local representatives of MT. Suey will cut this time down con- siderably.
 Perhaps the most impressive feature of this most suspicious occasion will be the serving of "Chow Taw'' tea, which was blessed by a mandarin "baclee homee' and which as a consequence is worth something like $lOO per pound. Any Chinaman offering one of his fellowmen a cup of this most precious beverage con- fers the greatest honor on his friends that it is possible for mortal Chinaman to bestow upon another mortal.
 This costly product is a mixture of deers clipped antlers and other strange articles, which only Chinese brain could think of. The blessing placed upon it by the mandarin however, is the most ex- pensive ingredient, that individual charg- ing fabulous sum for putting himself to this trouble.
 Ruler Suey and his loyal subjects dis play their love for New iears Day by naming it as their birthday. 1he sub jects show their love for his majesty by being born at the same time he is, thus every Chinaman in the world, no matter when he was born, will be 3l years of age Friday night at P o'clock.
 At daybrealx Saturday morning the Chinaman begins to pay his debts, and If they are not all paid by the time high noon rolls around then the Chinaman in this predicament Is a ruined Chinaman, for to allow such a thing to happen eter- nally disgraces him.
 | All troubles and hard feelings that may have arisen between any of the Celestials 1 will on New Years Day become a thing of the past. Everything is forgiven and | forgotten, and excessive politeness will be l the order of the day. No hard words, but l only language descriptive of the splendid | qualities of the person addressed or re- ferred to and put into language rivaling in beauty that spoken by the greatest of poets will be spoken. In fact the celebra- | ton will be a continual striving to "out- express" the other fellow. If one should out-wit the other by getting off a phrase praising, the latter's personality, which can't be matched, he wins the right to throw his chest out and is indeed, among the honored.
 The local celebration will naturally be a little quiet in comparison with the cele- brations in New York, San Francisco and other cities where there are large colonies, but the Chnamen here have caught the ar or progreSSlVeneSS ana Will indke things hum for a while, according to thelr | notion.
 Another feature of the day will be the visiting which will be indulged in, each Celestial thinking himself bound to visit all his friends on this day. Visiting cards of vivid color with some happy ex- precision, wishing the recipient a long lease on life and great prosperity, will be presented by each caller to his host. The reddest of reds is the favorite color for | these cards.
 the pipe and this particular diversion will play a prominent part. The bamboo stem will be put into operation after the other functions have been performed. Rice and chicken will also figure prom inently.