254 BULLETIN 139^ UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



places hold two such festivals. "At sunset pine torches, fixed in the 

 ground before each house, are kindled to guide the spirit visitors. 

 Sometimes, also, on the first evening of the Bommatsuri, welcome 

 fii-es (mukaebi) are lighted along the shore of the sea or lake or river 

 by which the village or city is situated; neither more nor less than 

 108 fires, this number having some mystic signification in the phil- 

 osophy of Buddhism. And charming lanterns are suspended each 

 night at the entrance of homes — the lanterns of the festival of the 

 dead — lanterns of special forms and colors, beautifully painted with 

 suggestions of landscapes and shapes of flowers, and always decorated 

 with a pecular fringe of paper streamers."^ 



In China the festivities which culminate in the feast of lights begin 

 on the 13th of the first month. On that day is lung-hung-tui, or 

 procession of the great dragon. Paper dragon lanterns of great size 

 are carried in the procession. On the 15th is feast of lanterns, which 

 consists of lighting up houses and every available thing with paper 

 lanterns. This feast is interesting, as it is a form of the ceremony 

 found all over the world and brings the question of the origin of cus- 

 toms by contact or outgrowth very strikingly forward for consider- 

 ation. On the 15th day of first moon is held a feast of lamps in 

 Tibet. The lamps are lit, and by the way they burn, if the flame 

 bums clear and strong there will be a good season, and contrariwise 

 if they burn dim.'^ 



In India the feast called divali, the feast of lights, lasts three days, 

 as in China and Japan. Previous to the feast people assiduously 

 clean their houses in anticipation of the visit of a goddess who pena- 

 lizes those whose houses are untiy. On the day of her visit the 

 houses inside and out are decorated with little saucer lamps filled 

 with oil and having cotton wicks. Firecrackers and other fireworks 

 are shot off. During the ceremony a particular kind of confectioney 

 in shape of elephants, horses, monkeys, men, temples, and so forth, 

 is sold. 



SPIRIT OR EXPIATORY LIGHTS 



On the 30th day of the seventh month the Chinese set little lamps 

 floating down the rivers. They have a behef that on this night and 

 day the spirits of the dead are set free from their Tartarean limbos 

 and visit their old accustomed haunts. The lights are for their bene- 

 fit. Food is also placed for them. The lamps are made of two cross 

 sticks as floaters, with a little cup of paper containing the grease. 

 Compare tliis with the French Jour des morts, All Souls Day. In 

 Tibet also on the 15th day of the first moon lamps are floated down 

 the river for souls.®^ 



** Lafcadio Heam. Unfamiliar Japan, New York, 1894, vol. 1, p. 1078. 

 «* Information by W. W. Rockhill. 



