The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1912-12-27

rety Of dishes on this day. piously
offering samples Of the foods to their
gods. The day in Nippon is celebrate ted
on Jan. I. as with us.
The Chinese New Year. which is bas
ed on the moon and occurs in January
or February. is like n prolonged and
gloritied Fourth Of July. or rather as
the Fourth was before 1t became safe
and sane. II lasts for several days
and is full Ut color. noise and action
from start to finish. Firecrackers.
Chinese lanterns. tea. feastlng and
carnival all play their part. and the
new year is initiated in way to put
ginger into his young life. The popu-
lar greeting il "Kunghi." which is to
say. II humbly wish you Joy" ar "Sin-
hi MAY Joy be yours From this
it will he seen that the Chinese have
hi" old time. Not only do lanterns
abound. but artificial flowers and red
notices ornH nlent the houses Even In
the United States the laundres are
abandoned while the CeleSti:lS pay
ceremonial calls and decorate every
thing in sight with red paper Euro
peans also paint the town red on New
Years. only they do it III a different
way.
New Years is celebrated for thir
teen DAYS in Persia and Is the most
Important festival of the year. 1t fur
nishrs a precious opportunity for tile
begYnrs who camp on Il mans door
step and blow horns until he gives
present The festival is called mo
Rooz" ana combine. our Christmas
and Easter. Sweets are prepared long
in advance. and eggs are boiled and
rolOred. The observance begins on
March %. and for thirteen days there
after business is suspended. Presents
are given. among them being coat of
honor for important persons. for which
a price is often eXncted. much in eX-
cess Of the value of the garment. An
other mo ROOF" custom is for dele
cations of Persians to visit the tombs
Of the departed and send up walls
both loud and long.
New Years is Il great day for the
children in the country towns Of Rus
sin, The boys carry peas and wheat.
showering those tncv like with wheat
and those they dislike with peas. Nari
Gus domestic animals are gayly deco
rated and letl about ,hp streets. There
is also II ceremony IF changing water
into wine. which Is harmless enough.
since it does no. increase the wine
supply,
The great feature of the German
New Years j.. "Ayvestrr Abend." CORE
spending il, gone measure to our watch
parties. except that more liquid re-
freshmen is absorbed. The punch
bowl is the center Of attraction. but
the punch is usually made of mild
Rhine wine and does little If amy
harm. III fares it with the man wear
ing II high hat on this night. for it is
smashed With great enthusiasm. In
Fraukf fort ON the Main a pretty custom
| is observed Promptly on the first
stroke of T. every shutter in town flies
open and ii head appears with the
shout. "I'rosit Neu.ahr." 1t is MS quick
~ withdrawn. and the shutters are re-
closed before the clocks have finished
booming the hour.
The French give Christmas Il rcli
giollS observance. so that New Year )
is the great popular holiday. Gifts are
exchanged and calls are made on Jan
and all through the month.
The English observance Of New
Years is not largely different from
ours. except that the old year is swept
out by men and boys dressed as chin
ney sweeps and is rung out with muf-
| fed bells. which change to a clear and
| Joyous note ut the stroke of II. 1t
is to this custom that Tennyson re-
| fers in his In Memoriam." 50 often
quoted. "lling out the old. ring in the
new"
The crowds before st. raul's in Lon
don on New Years eve are even
greater and more noisy than those he
fore Trinity. New York. though people
who have only heard the Gotham din
may deem this impossible.