PROCESSION OF THE GODDESS NAI NAI.
Dr. Wagner, of Lin Ching, China, reports the following incident to the Missionary Herald:— “This year we witnessed for the first time a custom connected with the great fair, which is seen only at intervals of several years, namely, taking the Nai Nai (or goddess of the fair) out to walk. Wherever the devout spread tables on the street outside of their gates, on which are placed food, flowers, and paper money, there the procession must go, even if it takes all night, as it often does. The procession is composed of several bands of music, artillery corps (one or two dozen men carrying small triple-barreled cannon attached to poles borne on their shoulders, which have a fuse attached ready to fire off at different stages of their route), masqueraders, stilt-walkers, banner corps, wrestlers, and other performers, etc. Last comes the chief feature of the procession, namely, two large wooden images of the goddess dressed in gorgeous attire, and borne in two red, highly bedecked chairs, which are preceded by an honorable body-guard of a number of literati with degrees, dressed in flowing robes and wearing hats with buttons on top indicating their rank. No one is able to give any intelligent account of how it originated, or for what purpose all this display is made.”