NO. 2 FOLK RELIGION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA — GRAHAM I47 



tors in the homes are worshiped twice a day, morning and evening. 

 Incense and candles are Hghted, and there are bows and prostrations. 

 Many also worship their ancestors in the same way in the ancestral 

 temples. After the fifth day, the ancestors are not worshiped daily 

 in many homes, but it is customary to worship them twice a day on 

 the 1st and 15th days of each lunar month. 



In many of the well-to-do homes, on the second day of the new 

 year or later, there is a feast called ta-ya-chi ff^^. In this 

 feast there are meat, fruit, vegetables, and wine, and the servants are 

 invited to share the meal with the members of the family. 



Beginning on New Year's day, there is a great deal of gambling in 

 the homes and on the streets. There are places where it is difficult to 

 walk along the streets because of the crowds of gamblers and specta- 

 tors. On the fifth day the officials put up proclamations saying that 

 gambling must cease. After that there is less gambling, but it is not 

 entirely discontinued. 



A favorite amusement from the 5th to the 15th day of the new 

 year is "playing lion." Two men carry over their heads and bodies a 

 representation of a lion — head, body, and tail. The legs of the two 

 men are the four legs of the lion. A third man carries a sword. As 

 musicians beat drums, gongs, and cymbals, the man and the lion dance 

 about fighting each other, and always the man is victorious. There 

 are always crowds of interested spectators. 



At dusk on the ninth day of the first moon, lamps called pai-ko-teng 

 are lighted in the yards of prominent temples or in places nearby. 

 Two strings of lights are hung vertically from tall upright poles. They 

 are lighted every night up to and including the 15th, and are left 

 burning for hours. It is believed that they cause peace and prosperity 

 by keeping away demons, for demons love darkness and fear light. 

 On the same nights lamps are lighted on the streets in worship of 

 Heaven, earth, and other gods. 



The dragon lantern parade begins on the 13th and continues through 

 the 15th of the ist moon. It provides amusement for thousands of 

 people, and the streets are generally crowded with spectators. On the 

 13th the parade is mostly by day, on the 14th mostly by night, and on 

 the 15th only at night. First the parade goes to the yamen, the stores, 

 and the homes of wealthy people, and then on the streets. The dragons 

 are made of cloth and paper fastened to strong hoops and held up on 

 upright poles by carriers, and are generally 40 or 50 feet long. The 

 head is large, with its mouth wide open, and with large eyes and a 

 large tongue. The carriers walk or trot a few feet apart. At the rear 



