Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1853 - 1872)(about) |
Previous issue
Saturday 25 February 1893
Next issue
Send to:
|
No corrections yet
THE WEEK.
THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.
The Chinese New Year commenced last week (Friday) at 12 o'clock in the inorniu and, as is \he custom both hore and in China, the feast of
Mr. Jabez Spencer Balfour, M.P.,
Prime mover in the unfortunate Liberator
Building Society.
ita celebration will be kept up for from 15 to 18 days. Â brief description of the celebration will undoubtedly p-ove of interest to our readers. The method of computing time in China is dif- ferent from ours; their present computation of time dates from the period of Confucius, while we, as is well known, use the Gregorian calendar. Their months never exceed 30 days in length, and are more often of 29 days' duration. When their leap year comes, instead of adding an extra day or days, they add an entire month, and pick up the lost time by having a year of 13 months. The drite ÍB fixed by the official astronomer, and is made known by proclamation and in the official Imperial Almanac. The date of the commence- ment of the New Year varies, as does the day, upon which our annual holidays fall, but it must always commence with the birth of the new moon and last until the moon bas become full ; that is from 15 to 18 days. On New Year's Eve the festivities commence, good fellowship roi .ns, an elaborate spread is set out in every house, in proportion to the wealth of the owner, and every nook and corner is brilliantly illumi- nated. The illumination, apart from its symboli- cal meaning of hilarity, life, and light is the relic of an ancient Chinese superstition-namely, that no evil spirit can enter or find room
where everything is pervaded by light. These illuminations are kept np all sight, none of the lights being allowed to go out with- out immediate replenishing before the sun is fairly up. During the day before the advent of the New Year the Chinaman is busily engaged in settling up all his old debts, and making new con- tracts for the next season, his sole ambition bein ; to commence with a perfectly clean sheet. All enmities and differences are for the time patched up, and even if renewed later on, there is nothing, ostensibly, at any rate, to inter
Mr. Frederick Millidie,
Late Manager of the Mercantile Banlc of
Australia, ioho returned to Melbourne re- cently to answer a charge of being concerned in making out a false balance sheet.
fero with universal kindly feeling as the old year drawB rapidly to its CIOBO. Calls of friendship nod congratulation are exchanged, and refresh menta freely partaken of. In the most hospitable interpretation of the phrase, the China Bn*n " keeps o^»n house/' and everything in it is
at the disposal of his temporary guest. The walls are hun* with mottoes expressive of welcomo aud good fellowship, and music, singing (of tho Chinese type) and feasting are indulged in with- out restraint. Opium is offered if the visitor desires it, or Chinese brandy and other, spiced liquors if he prefers ' them. At 12 o'clock the old year dies, and the devout Chinaman at «nee pays his obeisance to his patron saint or joss, and in- dulges in a short period of prayer before his shrine. These prayers are invariably materialistic, and aro composed either of thanks for past favorf and petitions for future success in business, or propitiatory offerings, and a petition that the evil luck which has dun* to them may be removed. His orisons finished, the devotee retires and fasts through the ensuing day, at the conclusion of which festivities are again resumed and kept up until the end of the Now Year celebra- tion, which, as before explained, lasts from 15 to 18 days. Although the Chinaman at times, wherj he has been pursued by a persistent run of bad luck, will treat his jons with great indignity, even going so far as to buffet and kick the image, it is al ways set up in great state before the New Year Eve, surrounded with tapers, and sweet smelling reeds and offerings of boiled rice and roast pork placed before it. Chinamen living in different cities, or at groat distances from one anothor, exchange cards upon which appear the compliments of the season. The cards are long slips of red paper, bearing the name of the sender and a few appro- priât» words of gieeting in Chinese characters; the color (red) iteelf signifying a desire for the happiness of the recipient. The artist has given specimens of several of the cards received by Mr. Qaong Tart from friends in China and in different p*rts of Aust alia and kindly placed at our dis- posal by that gentleman.
At the opening of the season Little George street, which is usually so'full of life and barter, presented a curiously quiet and Sunday-like appearance. All the Chinese shop shutters were up, and with the excep- tion of a few grave-looking Mongolians, walking, and lounging on the sidewalks in their holi- day clothes, there appeared to be little doing. Occasionally, however, a weird, prolonged dis- cordant caterwauling could be heard proceeding fr->m some of the houses, which gave the impression chat . an orchestra of cats was practising some new ? feline opera, but which proved on inquiry to be merely two or three Chinese musicians regaling their friends with a madrigal. The representative and artist sou/ht entry at one of the houses, and after some little denotar on the part of the China- men and explanation ou the part of the
The Chinese New Year.-A cordial Greeting.
visitors that it was only a friendly New Year's call "ailee samee Chinaman," en- trance wae granted. Some 12 or 13 Chinamen were seated about smoking their curious smelling tobacco in water pipes and chattering incessantly. On our entrance there was dead silence, until the host explained matte s and then there was a choruB of " How do." " Ho la ma! " " Plenty good new year," &c "We replied as best we could, and were invited to partake of the deli- cacies provided, which included fowl minced with rice, spiced fish, pork, and some peculiar but agreeable liquors. The walls were decorated with little pieces of red paper with different mottoes on them, one of which was copied, and occupies a place in our illustration. We were told that it was pro- nounced "Hong wah foighn hop," and meant " Goodwill and fellowship between Chinese and Europeans." We were allowed a glimpse into an adjoining chamber, where Joss was seated in all his majesty on an extemporised shrine, and surrounded with lights. Some plates of eatables had been placed in front of him, and partially prostrated on the floor before the image was a
Chinaman. After a few mutual efforts to make one another understood we took our departure.
"Goodwill and fraternity between
Chinese and EuroDeans "
Facsimile of New Tear Cards from Way Lee
and from China.
Dr. Graham*
Who is charged with having given a false
certificate of the death of Matilda Clover, one of the famous criminal Neill's victims.