The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-01-04
MYSTIC RITES
FOR FIRST TIME
Weird Ceremonies Held by the
Chinese of Gee Yung Tong
Before Great God.
tFrom Mondays Advertiser,


A good many of the Chinese of the
city took advantage of the holidays
yesterday to indulge in their .penchaut
for celebrating, and, Notwithstanding
the fact that their own New Year is
several weeks off, some of the tongs
made quite day of it.
The Gee Kung Tong made the most
out of the present holidays and cele-
brated with elaborate ceremonies, fol-
lowed with big dinner. The cere-
monies, the first of the kind ever held
here, were held in the joss house in
Chicken alley, Eva of Aala lane, and
the place was made dream of oriental
fancifulness. An immense giant, fully
fifteen feet high, was erected at the
door of the joss house, his awe-inspir-
ing face decorated with stringing red
whiskers several feet long. On one
side OF him was another and smaller
figure of a man with q grotesquely
painted face and more deliberately
decorated. This last figure was leading
a dummy horse . handsomely Esaddled
with rarely-worked cloth. On the op-
posite side of the steps was a less pre-
tentious figure leadinG another horse.
Before all these figures were prayer
sticks and prayer candles burning, and
also around several images and punches
of flowers outside the enclosure.
A Chinese band was in attendance,
and, although to the nninitiated it was
nothing but a mere racket, there was
system in it, for the gongs and shrill
horns kept in perfect accord with the
ceremonies that were progressing some
distance away This band removed
itself to the lanai after the ceremonies
were over.
In the middle of the enclosure, which
had been covered over for he occasion
a man prepared table with the things
necessary for the rites pending, light
ing prayer sticks and candles. Before
the table and facing it was paper
figure of a horse upon which was
mounted flat paper figure of man,
evidently supposed to represent one of
the gods. The ceremonies were adj
dressed to the god All Kwai. After the
table had been prepared, three bombs
were shot off and five priests dressed
in the full regalia proper to such occa
sions, emerged from the house and lin
ed themselves up back of the table.
Their costumes consisted of green cape
like garments that hung unbelted from
their shoulders to their feet, bordered
with red gold woven bands down the
opening at the front. They wore black
skull caps with a small gilt crown in
the center.
Back of these there formed another
line of celebrants, clothed in blue gar
ments of expensive cloth and each hold
ing some object in his hand, paper
representation of something, bowl
with single prayer stick and other
objects.
The ceremonies were perfectly un-
ineligible to a haole but were orderly
and systematic although accompanied
with vast amount of noise, which rose
to deafening proportions at times. Oc-
casionally it lulled and one of the
priests chanted for moment before it
started again. The racket could be
heard all the way down to King street.
About two hundred Cinnamon passed
in and out during the ceremonies, and
enjoyed the luau afterwards. There
was little doing at the other society
houses, most of them preparing already
for their own New Year