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Show , T 1 ; i I . :V VI" It S day nmnne I' "S"Vi"'"' i hp Jnpm l nut J TTT 11,1 ""' 'l,,y '"' Jt VQg .TV tln" " v,"r- '"" " '" -y ' I.M. In H'" 1. lEtlfHt H.IIM- of "J M 'K'Vtt V "" w"r," '" l""r ',n Vf Jv"i..'. viir " Preparation l"r " " beglnn curly In I". comber Tin- Anii-rl Zt) run Christina shopper f If landed In Tokyo In Jp ml.l i. p.'inlii r. would , 9 find crowds of hit iimtlicrn nnd sister In uplilt throng In it In shops decorated villi the most attractive nynilmlie nrnaitiotitnitiui nn.l displaying Willi grout f kill iIip things moat requisite for tho coming holiday tliiio. ,t night, along Hip thoroughfares. Hip strangi r would see multitudes crowded nlinilpir. pl booths to purrhnnp tho wnr.n exposed IIi.tp. nil which nre slgnim-ant of tlio New Yenr festival, and nothing else. Everywhere Every-where tho nvpinip mill liy wins ouli ho illuminated with rows of shining liintiTiin. hearing trn.le dcvlcen mil family crests, nil iiihiiiii-i1 from Hip low ovi' of stores uml houses. Novir aro thp streets of Japanese cltlen mid tnwnn mi ptillypnpil Willi guyly dronse,! crow.lii uml busy traffickers mi during thp tlnip of our own alien, ypt kindred, fhrlstman excitement. TIip nppclflp prppnrntlnnn for thp Npw Ypnr begin about Hip thlrippiith of thp Inst month. Thon, within pvpry hoiinp in thp empire, a general clean-Inn clean-Inn up taken place A frenh, green nrnnpii of hip hnnilxxi trrp, with Km leaves and twlgu to nymbnlltn good fortuno. la used an a duntcr In completing the thoroiiKh nwecping. At thla limp Hip anft rlpn mate of which tho flooring floor-ing In Japanese hniiipn In mailn aro rpiipwpil In ordpr that thp oilers at tho Npw Year my Iip received whpro they can enjoy a spotless finding. At thin lime. too. nil mnlrnns and mnldn art) buny getting reily for wpur on Npw Yenr'a day Vlmonoa that ahall hav no trace In thpin of thp vanlahPd pimt To ol,l anil young the ilnlly thnnm of thoiiKht and talk la thn coming "Npw Ypar." full a much aa Thrlatniaa' la to ua. OutaMo thp houura aymbolle dpcoratlon haa full away, nnd tranaforma the thnroughfaraa Into; Bayly eulorod and pvergrorn nvunupa. Th trm-lvaa trm-lvaa atrepta arc turnp.l, for tho time bring. Into vlatna of awaylng bamboo and pine trppa. Ilpfore each houo ontranco, according to the tpnanta' puraea and taato. atandn a kind of arrhway. ta pine branrhpn, auppoapdly mule and fpinalp, on tho right and li'ft. and the tall triple bamboo ahaft (both trcpa aymbolle of longpvlty that la of a hanlliipiia that hna borne the atorma and atrugglra of long life Into a rugged old age) wpI pome tho vlNttor. Ovor beail, apnnnltig the apnee bPtwcrn IIiphp uprlghta of the arch, la a decorated decorat-ed rope alsaya of rlrp atraw, having on It varloua ppndanta arrnnged In ii-rli-l nf upvpn, five nnd Ithrpo (lurky numlipra). The rope rprnllii onp of the mom rovpred and poptlc trmlltlnna nf the Jup-aneap Jup-aneap pant. The aun koiIiIpnh. the nncoHtri'HH of thp Impprlnl houHo of the emplrp. wan angon'd with her hrothpr In the nnrli-nl dnyn. nnd In re-vpngp re-vpngp hid h-rnpf In a envp. linrknpun then prp-Talli-d In honvrn nnd ovor thn i-iirth. Tho god. In their pprpplty, trlpd to Indiire her to como out of hi-r hiding pliu-e. Ilut In vnln did they appenr, until, In a dunce they had arranged, he waa Induced by a taunt that touched her vanity to open the door of her aelf -rhnapn dungeon. One of the godn then drew hpr forth, nnd. to prevent hpr running hack Into the enve, atretched a ntrnw rope acroaa the entrnnce The pprpptiml ahlnlng of the aun, necurpd thereby, renmlna memorliil-Urd memorliil-Urd In the gnrlnmled bnrrler banning nbovo encli Jiipaneae (Kirtnl at New Yenr'a time. Among the mont noticeable nnd alKnlflcnnt '! Jpcta nrnumentlng thene doorway archen In n nenr-pt nenr-pt tohxter, cnilii dded nmong aome brancheH of n biiHh wIiohp old leaven remain uiikIkiI until nf'er the young lenvea have hmliled. The lo'uxtpr'a crookrd body tPlIn of old nite hetil with yi'iirn. while the biihh hrunclien nrnuiid It hIiow how parcnlH remain evi'n while rhlldreu mil clill dren'n rlilldren may come Into being. In tlio anme decoration fromla of fern are placed, whimo palm of lenven Hyniliollro wedilcl lite TIip or nngp, whoMi color brlghtonn the rUixtercd hiii-IioIh, hiii-IioIh, beiirn u name which, nn a pun. nieaiiH "io-ii-m'Jiiim." nnd telln of family perpetuity He. .y l'l there. tiHi. nn n niemorlnl of good fortune. " I commemorating ulxn the prehltitorlc cuniiuent of I I I Korea by the Kinprenn .lluo. Her troopH were In I I tlangi r of defent hocniiHp ilit lr horfpn on the Ko- I I rean neiiiihi.rp were HtarvhiK from luck of f I j I Ilut, by InHplratlon, nho ordered hpiiw I to he plucked from the watera of tho bench anil given to the. liorHcu, who then were no Invlgoratc'l that they carried their rldem to glorloun victory. tiohel while tiamlH nf paper wave over the gar land" of Hip doorway nrclipn nynibo4lc of the an chnt ofrerlngn that have won the favor of "the inyrlml Kd." After luiny wpekn of iri-paratlnn nt laat the closing day of the year coinen. On New Yenr'a eve the whole country In nstlr nnd every place that necdn n llitht for uhp or beauty In hi IkIiIi'ih -I All lliriniKli that nlKlil the people stay out of bi d to nee the old yenr puna nnd to welcome the new. MerclinutH do not go to bed until the dawn of New Ycar'n day. All the huftncxM act oiiiiIh of the clohliiK eur iiiimt be nettled that night, nnd In eu ry nenw of Hip word the yenr lie begun Hfrekh hiiiimik ihone JnpaneHe who are Kiilded by the uhl nodal order All thing nre nnnle new. Had luck, bad fePllngH, uiiM-ttled il. IiIk. hip all to he done nwny With and a new chapter of life opened, mini Hb happy pronpectn. The com-plele com-plele P'llcwal "I old laslilolieil J a 1 HI II . f i. lite at the Nw Yi ar u well Fhown In one of the naiui-n that the il.i.v tiam, San loin. "The Three 'login- , nlngn." that In. nf "year." of "month" nnd of ilny." When Hip bonne-hold bonne-hold nwakenn on Junil-nry Junil-nry 1 every nieniliiT of the family neekn the otlorn to ny Omedp-to" Omedp-to" it'oiigrntulntlonl. And then nn exchange nf preneiitn like our fhrlhtliian giving be-glnn. be-glnn. The New Year breakfanl In a fenl of nyniboili in uml of ginid wlxhen. The New tenrn wine, too, In pn I nroiind. with the wlnh Hint everyone muy drink along with tho cup a long, long life A noup containing a peculiar rice pante, mochl. In entin by all. ench one wlnhlng tho othera ten thoui-ajiil yenrn of plenmiro nnd proa-perlty proa-perlty Thpn the hounehold prepare for a dny of fentlvlty. The busy broom and bamboo dunter are left Idle all the day. for fear that they might nweup out of tho houne the dlvlno frenhnenn that hn como Into It. AU the nhopn remain cloned from dnwn until the net dny. It In the day of the homo and of nodal happlnenn. There In no "t'brlntmaa tree" aa tho center of the Jnpanene New Year celebration Innlde tho boune, hut there la the Kagaml mochl or "mirror rice eakeo" that are made aa connplcuoua aa tho "tree." Thpoe cakpa reprenrnt the round mirror. In which tho night of her fnce enticed the nun goddena out of ber rave In the olden time. For eleven daya theaa enkea remain decorated with frultn and flowera, elevated on whltpwood traya. Then they form part of a family feantlng. Throughout Jupan Hip Npw YVar'n day la tho one complete holiday of the year. Hoon after breakfaHt all the membera of the fnmlllen, drenned III their newent rlnthea, take to the gnrdenn. pnrka and atreetn for charactPrlatlc plennurlngn. I'nl-vernal I'nl-vernal vlHllIng In a nodal law ratling on frlendn and retntlvea In pernon or by card. Unlvernal gift making In Indulged In, mennengern being ntuit beurlug tirpnentn all around the tioune'aold and frlrndly clrclon. Dlntlnctlve nnil eiclunlvo gnmra clno belong to the New Yenr time. Haltle-dore Haltle-dore and nhuttlepnck In prohnbly chief among them. In certain pnrm of Tokyo, for eiample, aireeta are nlinont ImtianHiiblo bccaime of the bontn of the plnyern of thin game. An far an one can oee, the ncene In one of bewildering color from the ntlr of the drenm-n of the glrln, who are nn ncilve In their nport nn no many of our tennln plnyern. (inyly ornniuented hntileiloren flunh ev erv where, and the nlr In full of the bright, fluttering flutter-ing toyn Hint ure ntruck from one to another plnvcr. rennlty for defeat uminllv meann gro-teioiue gro-teioiue marklngn of the fnce with ntroken nf char coul Ink. One mny nee HioumiiuiU of children niprry under Hip comical marking luiioKi-d Unin their fotehi'Hiln nnd cheekn. Kite flying In another peculiar New Y'enr pan time. And Kit.. !llng In Japan In a night well worth going far to nee. The variety of nliape. the grirgcDuniicHH of coloring, the extraordinary ntzn of many of thene toyn, In nmneihliig peculiar to the JnpnncHP. Then the nMH Miown In iiiiiiipu vcrlng Hip klten In m.irvetoiiM. They hum nn they nway In the Jantian hreer.e with a port of orgau-ilpp orgau-ilpp volume of hiuiiiil, iin.l, nt tlmen. they nwimp down upon iiutagiitilnt (Hern, like hnwkn, ninl, with thdr rIioh iliini covercil cordn cut their ene-mti-a In e, thun making them the property of their own masu m There In hardly a more fan cluntlng npei taele than one of thene friendly bat-tic bat-tic III Hip nlr of Jnpnupnp klten, under Hip gilld-ine gilld-ine of the nkilli-d men who manage them. Another dlntlnctlve entertainment for tho New Year cob brut Ion Ih furnlHlieil bygroupnof miinked performein who go nboiii the ntrcitx led by a curloun iinltiml like creature, whone grotempm Hun hea.l exdten mucli mock terror aiming children. chil-dren. The mitten of thene luotli-y crowdn nre nuppio-e.l to exorclne evil nplrltn from the Japan-ee Japan-ee hotin-n, an well an to mid gnvcty to the do-lugii do-lugii of the day. Many otln r uulipip ceremoulea take place on the llrst day; loo many for un attempt at-tempt to describe t lioui here Ilut we may not pan by the old card partlen of thp New Year ivinlligH; the miiti-lilugn of the begliinliigs uml I'luln of the "hundred nongn of a hiindrpil nliigcm." Kroni one .luuiinry to another thin game In not Indulged In; hut at the opening of the year It In the chief nport kept fur the even-Ingn. even-Ingn. whole fin i 1 1 l-H Incoming nhM.rhcl In It. It In a context of memory mid of ipilcknesn at dln-covi dln-covi ring In citidh laid out before a group of play- ern the end of a ikh-iu whone o Ing linen have hei n n ad by u leader. It In iiHtonlshlng to neo the mental nklll Hint many of the pluyern have acipilred. One more exciting New Year game denerven mention, the fortune loiiirleH. In thene home lutierlen one taken hold of the end of a rope unl 'aS!-yi .:J '-' ' 'he other eii.l over n ..it J '. J -.r.-.n III. II. ti idimrn allach (, U .f in.- gift lii the tr ml of the "TJ-i 1 I""!"', wherein ,i(l.n the het of 'J(.Ltrl III, celll.H. be.-mme of Hie prizes drawn Inn i hi-, great dav of begin-lilnun begin-lilnun lor Japan, wlih It Idling ami many plean ur. n. at hint cow- in n i loe. on the neeond day of the year thp ity nf work In celebrated. In Hip Inline Hip chllill" strive in nhow tn their pnrenln Hie bent they cat do In i. niiiuni.hlp or In memory of things tn be named t'.lrls try their llrnt ortin mental needlewifk or pi f music; mercliantn open their nboin with n show of r tvlug their first goodn for lie year. On the ntreet mimy pro-ci-snlonn of coolkn are seen bearing beautifully or tiamenteil ntiecliiriin of the trn.len of their mnntern Heavily londPil tiigoun, brllllmitly decorated with lanterns, flags aid n.lverilsenienin. drnwn by oxpii covered with nimy colored cloihn. pane Irom din trlct to district, iccoiupnnle.l by singing and daiin Ing workmen. Toward the nenlug of tl -cond day ntreet pedillern. crylnf "Treaniire nhlpn for nnlo!" go about among tin crowdn. They nell rough draw logs nf the "Heien liodn of Happiness." alloat In a boat. Multlttlen buy these cnrlcntiiren of an ancient nnered troup. much an we might buy a pictured Hanta riaun. Thnt night the "trennure nhlp" muni lie nder one'n pillow. TIip dreaina that come then mean much for the rent of the opening year. On the third day of the New Yenr the flreinpn of tho townn hive their annual parade and give public exhibition of acrobatic skill In many plucen These exhibition are no mean shown. Home of the perfnrmern llnplny an agile ability In climbing, balancing and laplng that la of an extraordinarily high order. Indeed, all Vo daya of the tlrnt fortnight nf the new year arr letter daya, until the DfUMUth day comen. when aeemlngly a moat comical ending end-ing of the whole fental aeaeon taken place. The people nftir that xetlle down to the commonplace order of r.gulnr dully labor. Tho Japanane people at the proiont time do not take thla cloning event moro aerliusly to heart than we of thla land now regard tie ride of Tam O'Hhanter; but, theoretically, theoreti-cally, th Inhabitants of the Infernal reglona dur ing the first fortnight of the new year have aa merry a good time aa the people of thin world. On the flfftonth day, however, the Inatruminta of torture tor-ture In hell begin to work again. On thla day II la that the templea conaccrated to Kmnia O, the king of lladca, are crammed with devnteea ami gather large niima of offortuga from fenrful alu-nera. alu-nera. It In a wonderful alght, a temple of Kmnia O 111 n.ld January. In one of the great elites. A Unman Un-man carnival could nut bo more Jostling, jolly or absurdly funny, Japanese fun making In at Itn freent there, nnd all that la done seems to be for given the wiirsblpern. If their contrlhutlonn to the treasure boxes of hla maesty, the regent of the Inferno, lire gnnemue. With the festival of thin god the new yeur on enrth and under the earih linn for the Japnnene panned away an a fount, ami llfe'a duties (airly begun again. Of course the Japanese New Year In todny fast losing noiiip of Itn old time characteristic fanclna thins, hut enough of Its unlipip ipiulntnesn mid charm remain to give It distinctiveness aiming the festivals of the nations, nnd to keep It un object for foreign toiirlntn to enjoy. |