Show four celebrations of day EW YEAR Is celebrated in this country at least on four different dates in ad to the regular na new years celebia tion on january 1 the first of these foreign celebrations will be that of the greeks and russians and a few other nationalities which adhere to old style dates they will have new year on january 14 13 days later than the new year of the new style next in order comes the chi nese new year on february 13 and but a day later february 14 comes aba mol ammeman first day of the year the jewish new year falls nealy nine norths later about the middle of sop be the first day of the month of the celebrations vary both in ac corrance cor dance with the religions of the va rious peoples and their climatic laceal and national characteristics with the greeks russians serviano ians bulgarians and macedonians all of whom adhere to the greek catholic church new year s Is one of the most pleasant it not the pleasant est festival of the year with the jews on the contrary the new year rosh has hana as it is called is tar from being a pleasant affair it is a day of fetn of judgment it is preceded by weeks of prayer fasting aad peni tence and is followed by ten days known as the days of repentance wind up with yom kippur the day of atonement a most grew some and weird day dreaded by every or thodor jew greeks celebrate two days the most interesting and joyous celebration of the new year Is that of the greeks the greek new year lasts two days in these two days the greek nature with its unbounded joy of life comes into its own the heart of every greek thrills on that day with unbounded joy passionately he awaits the evening when in his little greece in a genuine greek rant with male cooks and attendants he can get his genuine greek food hellenic dishes and wash them away with greek wine which was purpose ly imported into this country for the holidays christmas Is a great holiday with us said a prominent greek but it is after all a solemn day it Is a lous holiday no gifts are exchanged on christmas and the three days which the holiday last are given over to religious meditation how different it is with the new year next to our national holiday on maich 25 which commemorates the date of our inde pen dence just as july 4 commedo rates the birth of the american na alon new year s days for we have two of them are our greatest holidays in greece new year is essentially a family holiday there we have a ahll dren s afternoon which is devoted en to the young ones who are div en the utmost opportunities to enjoy themselves in this country how eier it is slightly different out of the 13 greeks living in chicago only have their families here there are only between sixty and eighty children and as we are only just planning to build a school of our own we have not yet the beani nor the call tor a children s on new year s day still many of the greek cami ea will observe this ancient custom in this country they will have their children s afternoon they will ha e their delicious new year s pudding known as king s pudding in fact in many cases the pudding will b even more delicious than it would have been in old athens for one j the ancient customs among ohp aroet is to hide some gold coin in OE pt tion of the pudding and he who facets the share of the pudding wi h pilu p ilu coin in it becomes conr ea ell as he leader of the two days joy and sport in this country where gold is more plentiful than in greece and where it is more easily earned by the greek father the pudding promises to contain more gold and be much more delightful to the finder of the same perhaps the most unique greek d sh on new year s eye is the roast lamb set up in greek style of which each son of hellas must partake the roasting of the lamb is attended with a great deal of pomp the entire carcass of a lamb is set up on a pole and this Is held over a fire until it Is duly roasted then it is sliced and apkor tinned among the various persons present at the feast and the roast is eaten along with the other strictly greek d ashes and washed down with greek wine russ ans like our food russians in this country celebrate but one day and they too attempt to produce a home atmosphere how ever home flou is not thought of the bread the meat and the wine of the united states are considered as good as and even far better than the products of their own land the macedonians serviano ians and bul garlans celebrate the new year per haps less elaborately also on the same religionists day as their greek nd russian the turks celebrate their first of the year with the modesty character of people who have not yet any hold on a place the chinese will have their cus ternary celebration of the chinese new year on february 13 with feast ing and enjoyments with which the holiday is observed in the celestial empire in striking opposition to the spirit of joy and happiness which pervades the new year of the greeks and christendom generally is the new year of the jews with the jews who also observe the new year for two days the days are not das of feasting and enjoyment but days of judgment according to the belief of every orthodox jew every member of the jewish race Is tried on the new year the books kept in heaven are opened on that day the record of each man tor the year just ending is looked through and taken under advisement for ten days on the tenth day the day of atonement the fate of each man for the coming year is drawn up whether he should live or die prosper or be poor on the day of atonement the fate Is sealed and nothing can change it any more |