Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-12-27
Nobody Knows just How Long
Ago This Custom Was
Originated.
Methods of Japanese, Chinese,
Germans. French and
English.
DIFFERENCE In The CALENDAR

New year 8 is tDe mOSJ unlNeTSdlly
celebrated of holidays. Christmas IL
practically confined to Christian
countries and in some of these has
only a religious observance. The
same is true of Easter. other holi-
days are for the most part national
in character and are confined to
their own countries. But New Years
in some form is celebrated in AL
lands and in not few is the CHIEF
holiday of the year. II is not OBJ
served always on January /, the
Chinese and Jewish New Years be-
ing notable exceptions and the Rus
sian festival being held on what to
us is January 70, owing to differ
ence in the calendar.
Especially is the beginning of the
year a time of festival in the Orient.
Nobody knows just how old the Gus
tom is, but It probably antedates
history. In most Asiatic countries
New Years eve is a time for settling
debts, wiping the slate clean for the
succeeding twelvemonth. Tea drink
ing is naturally one of the chief
forms of observance in China and
Japan. There it is an art, and the
ceremonial on New Years is intend
ed to outrank anything else in the
pink tea line. The Japanese tea
room is hidden away in some
secluded part of the garden, and
only a few of the elect are admitted.
This of course refers to the private
tea rooms, the public ones being
frequented by Mr.. Common People
and all his wife's relations. The
Japs eat from a large variety of
dishes on this day, piously offering
samples of the foods to their gods.
The day in Nippon is celebrated on
January 1 as with us.
The Chinese New Year, which is
based on the moon and occurs in
January or February, is like a pro-
longed and glorified Fourth of July,
or rather as the Fourth was before
it became safe and sanee. 1t lasts
for several days and is full of color,
noise and action from start to fin
ish. Firecrackers, Chinese lanterns,
tea, feasting and carnival all play
their part, and the new year is
initiated in a way to put ginger into
his young life. The popular greet
ing is "Kunghi," which is to say,
81 humbly wish you JOY" or
'Sinhi," MAY joy be yours" From
this it will be seen that the Chinese
have a chi" old time. Not only do
lanterns abound, but artificial flow
ers and red notices ornament the
houses. Even in the United States
the laundries are abandoned while
the Celestials pay ceremonial calls
and decorate everything in sight
with red paper. Europeans also
paint the town red on New Years,
only they do it in a different way.
New Years is a great day for the
children in the country towns of
Russia. The boys carry peas and
wheat, showering those they like
with wheat and those they dislike
with peas. Various domestic an
imals are gayly decorated, and led
about the streets. There is also a
ceremony of changing water into
wine, which is harmless enough,
since it does increase the wine
supply.
The great feature of the German
New Years is Sylvester Abend,
corresponding in some measure to
our watch parties, except that more
liquid refreshment is absorbed. The
punch bowl is the center of attrac.
ton, but the punch is usually made
of mild Rhine wine and does little II
any harm. Ill fares It with the man
wearing a high hat on this night
for 1t is smashed with great en-
thusiasm. In Frankfort on the Main
a pretty custom is observed
Promptly on the first stroke of IL
every shutter in town flies open and
head appears with the shout,
"Prosit Neujahrl" II is as quickly
withdrawn, and the shutters are re-
closed before the clocks have fin
ished booming the hour.
The French give Christmas a re.
ligious observance, so that New
Years is the great popular holiday
Gifts are exchanged and calls are
made on January 1, and all through
the month.
The English observance of New
Years is not largely different from
ours, except that the old year IL
swept out by men and boys dressed
as chimney sweeps and is rung out
with muffled bells, which change to
clear and joyous note at the stroke
of ~. II is to this custom that
Tennyson refers in his "In Memoir
n.