CHAPTER VI.

The Chinese New Year.

The New Year came and found Hongkong in festal array. All the Chinese
houses were decorated with plants and flowers, and from long cords
stretched from house to house, and diagonally across the streets, were
suspended hundreds upon hundreds of lanterns of various colors. At the
first peep of day thousands of people, dressed in holiday attire, began
to throng the streets and crowd into the great open squares, where
eatables of all sorts were to be had. Here were tables loaded down
with all kinds of Chinese delicacies, many of which, I fear, my little
readers would not find palatable. For example, there were sugar-coated
worms, preserved red snails, trepang,--a kind of sea-worm,--and putrid
doves' eggs in an unspeakable sauce. The cakes made of honey, sugar
and rice-meal, I am sure, would have been much more to your liking.
Each hour the crowd increased, as the people poured into the city from
the villages on the island of Hongkong, and from neighboring places.
It was a general reception day. Whenever a Chinaman met an
acquaintance, putting his hands in the wide, flowing sleeves of his
gown, he greeted him with many bows, wished him a happy New Year, and
invited him to have a cup of tea or saki. Even the poorest people had
saved up enough to take part in the celebration. All over the great
city joy reigned.

The missioners, glad to give their pupils English as well as Chinese,
all the pleasure they could, always celebrated the New Year by having a
more elaborate supper than usual, and taking the boys to see the