EVE OF NEW YEAR

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1923, Page 6

EVE OF NEW YEAR

SHOPS OPEN MONDAY NIGHT. - IFUN IN THE STREETS. OLD SCOTS CEREMONY. a—— Monday night will see the passing of the year 1923 and the birth of 1924. If tHe night is hue there will be, as in past years, large crowds on the streets making the welkin ring with hooters, trumpets, and, in fact, anything that will produce noise, while in between times seasonal greetings will be exchanged. All the ahops will be open till at least ten o’clock, when the bright lights of the windows and the verandahs will be ablate, while the strings of colored across Devon Street will add a further touch of gaiety'fo the scene. The ringing out of the old year and the* ringing in of the new is not, however, the occasion in New Plymouth for special celebrations in the way of bonfires and fireworks, as it' is in other places, particularly amongst Scottish communities. As is customary, the regimental band will play at the post office at midnight, in the presence of a few faithful observers of old-time ceremony; while the midnight air will be stirred with blasts from the whistles/of locomotives and the Sash and The by-law prohibiting the use of fireworks in the streets has played a big part in keeping the more spirits within circumscribe gbunds, and to this is at trWm table the passing away of much ofJthe ceremony of other days. Jr In Scottish communjjrfes, suchsas Dunedin, New Y’ear’s tyre is more generally observed than Christmas Eve, although in this Dominion there is such a leavening of Scots, English and Irish that the one festival can hardly be said to predominate over the other. In Dunedin, very few people go to bed before the New Year has been ushered in in oldtime Scots fashion, with shortbread and oatcake, a “glass” to cement the New resolution and good wishes, and a due proportion of “first footing.” Every house is brilliantly illuminated, and the doors thrown open just after midnight to receive the first guest of the year: while from the surrounding hills and from numerous tprivate gardens rockets stream into the air, leaving a trail of fire behind them. Steamers at the wharf, too, generally join in the celebrations by sounding their whistles and discharging brilliant rockets. Compared with this, New Year’s Eve in New Plymouth is very quiet.

SHOPPING HOURS. NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS. HINTS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE. The following points in connection with shopping hours during the New Year holidays should be remembered by the New Plymouth housewife: No long night was observed last night (Friday), but to-day all the shops will be open till 5.30 p.m., the half-holiday being dropped. On Monday night (New Year’s Eve) all the shops will remain open till 10 o’clock. Grocers, drapers, clothiers —Shops will .be closed on Tuesuay (New Year's Day) and Wednesday, January 2nd, re-open-ing on Thursday. The half-holiday will be observed next Saturday, January 5, as usual. Butchers.—The master butchers will close on New Yearn Day and open on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Bakers.—Bakers will be open on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but no baking will be done on New Year's Day. Fruiterers.—'Fruiterers will be open on both New Year’s Day and the following day. Tobacconists.—Tobacconists will close or Tuesday and will remain open till 10 p.m. on Wednesday.