The Springfield herald., 1912-12-27
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the celebration. which is a distractingly mad and
merry one. God-cakes. triangular In shape. filled
with mncemeat and about halfinch thick, are
eaten New Years day In both England and
Scotland They sold in large numbers and
can be purchased for from penny apiece all
the way up to pound. Feasting is really the
chief feature of the Scottish celebration. moro
SO than at Christmas any other time OF the
year. Steaming hot wassel, too, is carried from
door to door and INDUCED in by neighbors and
friends.
III Russia the Julian calendar is still in vogue
and January there corresponds to January IA
of our calendar The Russian festival begins on
New Years and lasts until the fourteenth
day of the New Year. At midnight as the old
year is dying and the new being born. the Car
attends public mass. and precisely on the stroke
of ~ o'clock hundred cannons are discharged
and the revelry begins At the end of the cele-
bration-two weeks hence-the people fast and
attend solemn religious services marking on the
doors OF their houses. also. a CROSS to prevent
Satan from crossing the threshold.
In the rural sections the Russian children
make the day peculiarly their own. for. armed
with peas and grains of wheat they sally forth
in bands early New Years morning. stop at
every house. enter and wake the inmates with
bombardment of peas or by scattering the wheat
over the sleepers Later in the day they choose
the very finest horse raised In the village that
year decorate 1t and present 1t to the nobleman
who is master OF the village. In return he scat
tiers small coins among them Their elders. too.
sheep and fowls. The strangest of all Russian
customs. perhaps is the gathering around jar
OF water by each family group In the belief that.
II their faith is sufficiently strong the miracle
performed by Christ in Cana OF Galilee when he
turned the water into wine will be repeated.
New Years day in Japan is picturesque to
the extreme The emperor holds formal court
reception. much as our chief executive does.
which is attended by the foreign diplomats and
high officials of the Japanese government. The
celebration among the people lasts five days
and preparations for 1t are begun long before
The fronts OF all houses covered with
bematic decorations: branches OF pine and OF
bamboo planted In large filled with
earth and placed before the doors. and
the projecting roofs of the houses strung
garlands of plated straw. These latter bear
leaves OF certain trees. shell fish and other
charms believed to be potent factors in bringing
good luck to the household
The people flock to the temples. which
open all New Years night and there cook their
zoomi. sort OF rice cake. always eaten before
the sun has risen Later, on New Years day.
there is much visiting and tea drinking and ex
change OF good wishes for the coming year. n
he do better, the very porest OF
peasants wraps pieces of dried fish in paper.
tied with peculiar red and white string used
only on this occasion. and sends them to his
friends as his New Years gift The Japanese
year date falls simultaneously with our own
they having adopted the Gregoran calendar in
1872.
The Jewish New Year is usually celebrated
some time in September and is called Rosh Hos
hanah. also Yom Hardin which last means days
of judgment. New Years eve is observed with
fasting and the day itself with feasting. May
you be in favor with God this New Year" Is the
Jewish form of sautaton. from which the Cen
tile greeting. Happy New Year" is said to be
contraction.