The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-05
LATIN-AMERICANS
 HAVE THEIR GREAT GIFT-GIVING. FESTIVAL

If you could board a, magic car
 pet that ran as a through express to
 Havana, Lima, or almost any other capital of Latin-America and be wait ed to one of those cities so as to ar
 rive this afternoon or evening, your eyes would be greeted by what would seem to you a very strange spectacle, You would observe that the shop
 windows were filled with toys, dolls
 and other articles designed to glad
 den the hearts of the young; and, if
 you ventured to enter one of the shops,
 you would be caught in a, rush of
 eager, excited buyers clamorous for
 attention. from the overworked sales
 people.
 Perhaps your first conclusion would
 be that our Latin neighbors have talk
 en to heart the admonttion to "do your Christmas shopping early,'' and were even now preparing for the com ing twenty-fifth of December. Such a theory would not seem feasible. how
 ever, in view of the alleged tendency
 of the Spanish-A toward
 postponing to tomorrow everything that may possibly be avoided today.
 As a, matter of fact, while our neighbors to the South have celebrat- ed Christmas with great enthusiasm, they dok not consider it a festival for the, giving and receiving of gifts. The Cubans and other atin-Americans give presents on "El Dia de los Reyes or the Day of the Kings, which falls on the sixts of January.
 This feast, elsewhere called Epht- r,hany or Twelfth Day, is the day for Ewing love gifts to children and dear ones in the Latin republics, where the merchants who deal in holiday wares are today enjoying their great rush of busin ess. The Latins are even less prone than we of the North to do their shopping early, and the Day of Kings like Christmas with us, often comes when they least expect it, and finds them unprepared.
 The historic and religious signifi- canoe of the day is, of course, the visit the infant Jesus. The kings brought gifts of gold, frankincense ana n1yrrh, and this gave rise to, the gfft-giVing which in many countries distinguishes t.Ed Dia de les Reyes
 Throughout the Latin world, in France and Italy as well as in South and Central America and Cuba, the Day Of the Kings is an important fes- tiyal In . England and America Night festivities, once so pop uIar, have almost died out
 In Paris the people are busy today l paving their bills, for it is the cus- tom that everything in the way of an obligation must be set tied by the sixth of January. The has somewhat interfered with this pleas ant custom, put oVoTyDOuy WHO can possibly raise the money will go out | receipted bills today. The | Parisians seldom pay cash for any thing they buy, and any fairly re- spectable. person who owns a little furniture may get almost unlimited credit It is extended, however with the implied understanding that pay ment will be forthcoming on or be- fore the Day of the Kings. Those who do not pay by that date may confidently expect to pay cash there after, wherever they may go in Paris, i for every tradesmen, by some myster- tous means, seems almost immediate ly to become acquainted with the | names of those who have done vio- fence to the confidence of other mer chants.
 Broke, but with a clear con sci ience'', describes the condition that | will exist tomorrow among the great ma jority of Parisians.