Just as usual for the Chinese lahui, so too are they doing this year, that is their celebrating their one holiday in the year known to us as the Konohi day. Continue reading
Today, the 25th of January, will be celebrated by all the Chinese, as the first day of their new year.
Sometimes the first day of their new year begins in January, and sometimes in February, because the way they reckon their years is by the orbiting of the moon, and therefore, some years they have twelve months, and some years they have thirteen; and the years they have thirteen months, is a bit like our reckoning.
We are told that in the towns of their Land, on the day before the new moon of their new year, there is a great procession on the streets and at the Eastern Gates, where the Sun rises, for their towns are secured by tall stone walls. Where the people gather outside of the wall, they build an altar and upon it they place offerings, candles, and wine [?? waina]—the Leader of the Procession kneels three times, and knocks his head nine times, along with other religious practices of theirs; that is their celebration of new year.
What they do every new year is broken down into five parts below:
Offerings to the Sun and the Earth—the worshiping of family gods—the worshiping of those who died and the ancestors—bowing before their living parents and other elders, and celebrating because of the new year.
Adults, when they visit their friends, they are given tea to drink and watermelon seeds to eat. The Chinese do not eat meat on the first day of the year, and eat food that grows from the land that beautifies the heavens and earth. And the poor, when they enter houses and give their greetings, they ask for sweets or other food. They close their Shops for some days in their own Lands. When the Chinese go to foreign Lands, the poor continue to perform the work of their parents, and they certainly never go without honoring the new year.
Amongst us here in Hawaii nei, there are many of those people, and it is their holiday. This is a lahui that does not worship Jehovah, the one true God, but they have many gods; they burn a lot of paper to them, which is the scent which carries their prayers.
Those Chinese are numerous who live amongst us, they are in many classes.
We hope that these Chinese soon understand the truth, by learning and believing in the Christian People, and they will stand equally as fine kamaaina amongst us, and not help those who follow the ways of their land.
Happy new year to you, and have a good new year.
[This year, the year of the dog begins on 2/16 (Friday). Let’s hope that that is the beginning of a good year!]
(Kuokoa, 1/25/1868, p. 3)
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke VII, Helu 4, Aoao 3. Ianuari 25, 1868.
To troubles that are past!
‘Tis well they didn’t last;
Our Chinese cooks had fun,
But we, alas! had none—
Cold joints are good enough,
But oh! we like “hot stuff,”
No skittles and no beer,
For us, Chinese New Year.
“Life is not all beer and skittles”—
But it will be if we drink
RAINIER.
It’s all right Sir
it’s
Rainier
C. A. Nelson, Agt. Phone Main 1331
(Evening Bulletin, 2/18/1907, p. 5)
Evening Bulletin, Volume IX, Number 3619, Page 5. February 18, 1907.
QUONG ON CLUBHOUSE.
“Kung he fat choy!”
It always rains on Chinese New Year. Which is a mercy. Because, if it did not, all kinds of things that result from playing with fire would be likely to happen. They began happening at midnight last night, with a great and long-continued noise. At the first the whistles blew at the hour of twelve sharp. That was the signal. Then a fiery pandemonium broke forth, and raged up and down all through the Asiatic quarter of the town, from Nuuanu to River street…
(Hawaiian Gazette, 2/3/1905, p. 1)
Hawaiian Gazette, Volume XL, Number 10, Page 1. February 3, 1905.
…and beyond, and on all the cross streets where the sons of the Central Flowery Kingdom, who make their homes in Honolulu, have their abiding place. Continue reading
New Year’s Day of the Chinese.—This coming Saturday [1/25/1868], we were told, is the Happy New Year Day of the people of China [ka aina pua]. Their new year day is a day that is considered a very important day to arrive, perhaps just as how the new year day of other people are thought greatly of. But their celebration is probably much bigger than that of the other ethnicities. Their celebration of their new year often begins by setting off fire crackers at midnight, and you are welcomed by them with them saying not our “Hape Nuia,” but with “Kono-hi! Konohi!” And then you say “Kuninihi.” [?? I iho no hoi “Kuninihi.”]
(Au Okoa, 1/23/1868, p. 2)
Ke Au Okoa, Buke III, Helu 40, Aoao 2. Ianuari 23, 1868.
Konohi Day of the Chinese.
The new year of the Chinese began on this past Monday, and the activities of the boys of China were worthy of great admiration.
On Tuesday, the 27th, Nailima held a konohi party at his residence, to celebrate the birthday of his beloved daughter, and there were many who were invited.
When they were ready to eat, there rose a disturbance between the home owner and some people who were bedecked with the delicacies of the konohi day; the people split up and fled and some of their voices had become slurred because they were drowsy on “the chilly waters of the dew,” and the glory of the day became as of naught.
I will stop here. Yours truly,
Henry L. Kauanoano.
Waiakea, Hilo, Jan. 22, 1890.
(Kuokoa, 2/8/1890, p. 3)
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XXIX, Helu 6, Aoao 3. Feberuari 8, 1890.
Just as usual with the Chinese people, they will again this year, celebrate their one important day of the year known by them as the Konohi day.
These past years however, they have split up and some of them celebrate the day we celebrate, that being the 1st of January, while some celebrate their day from ancient times. It is a day when some of our people go quickly about celebrating the konohi at houses of the Chinese, and they are a welcoming people to those who visit their homes on that day.
There is but one humbug thing about that day, that is they do not sleep that night and wake up everyone with their sounding off fireworks from night to day, and it is bad for those who have to go work the next day.
¹China is referred to in Hawaiian as the “Aina Pua,” or the “Flower Land.”
(Alakai o Hawaii, 2/14/1929, p. 2)
Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Buke 1, Helu 42, Aoao 2. Pepeluali 14, 1929.
This coming Friday, February 7th, is the Happy New Year Day and Konohi of the Chinese. The Bow Wong Wui, the Chinese Reform Society is preparing to give on that day a great feast, and on that same day, some leaders of the group will give speeches on the reason for separating themselves from the leadership of China’s traditional government. However, it would seem that there will not be as grand a commemoration as the previous year because of the difficulty in obtaining funds now.
(Aloha Aina, 1/11/1907, p. 7)
Ke Aloha Aina, Buke VIII, Helu 2, Aoao 7. Ianuari 11, 1902.
Iolidane:—Tahiti Tune.
1 La hauoli a pomaikai,
No ka lahui o Kina,
Ti ka char sow san nin fat choi
No ka makahiki hou,
Hape Nuia. Hape Nuia &co
E na makamaka nei.
2 Ke hui mai nei na kalepa
O ko Kina poe gentlemen,
Me ka lakou mau ladies no
A hauoli hoomaikai,
Ti ka kon hi. Ti ka kon hi, &co
And san nin Tat-i.
3 Na makua o keia hui
Me na keiki a lakou,
A pomaikai na mea a pau
Keia makahiki hou,
Choi tan qui sow. Choi tan qui sow
Hooili ia lakou.
4 Na ke Akua ma ka lani
Nana e hoomaikai mai
O keia hui ko Kina poe
E noho ma Hawaii nei,
Haleluia. Haleluia
No ka Haku ola mau.
5 Na Keonimana me na Lady
E aloha kakou a pau,
No ko kakou olioli,
Ka la nu Lahui o Kina,
Huro kakou! Huro kakou!!
A hauoli pu.
This song was composed by one of these Chinese; S. P. Ahiong is his name, and he is the director in the playing of the Seraphim [Selapina], and he holds Seraphim concerts in the Wainee Church in Lahaina until today, and it may be something novel to see for those who are into new things; seeing this skilled Chinese singer, he probably has no match amongst all the Chinese who have come to Hawaii nei. After this song, Rev. D. Baldwin gave a prayer and the banquet started with much calm; all of the respected haole of that Calm land which aloha has put forth, along with our Governor [Paulo Nahaolelua] who came by….
[This is just a portion of a much larger article describing the new year celebration in Lahaina. There are more mele!]
(Kuokoa, 3/3/1866, p. 4)
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke V, Helu 9, Aoao 4. Maraki 3, 1866.
The sound of the firecrackers of the Chinese was deafening. and Ulakoheo was festive with the din of the sound of the corrugated iron [? pa piula] of their Band. When you look, their ears are enjoying the joyous strains of the instruments that sound like the squeal of the block of the ship Kilauea, when it encounters sudden gusts of winds outside of Mahukona and those places. The Chinese New Year [konohi] yesterday was a day of much fun for them, and they are wishing a happy new year these days.
(Lahui Hawaii, 1/27/1876, p. 3)
Ka Lahui Hawaii, Buke II, Helu 5, Aoao 3. Ianuari 27, 1876.
nupepa 