New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-12-09
NUMBER 937.

for the summer season, to erect little sheds Of
canvas, Of straw, Of branches, or Of mud, whilst
in winter they scratch deep holes in the earth
which they roof with reeds and turf Their
furniture is surprisingly simple, consisting Of
an old kettle, q few two-pronged forks, and per
haps pair Of scissors, poignard, and a gourd
to hold brandy. or arakee--to the use Of which
this race is particularly addicted. When they
have stowed these articles in their holes, or un.
der shed, they call the place their home, and
20 back to it every night. They squat upon
heaps Of filth, and commence smoking their pipes
while the women set before them the supper
which has been cooked in the before mentioned
old kettle swung upon three sticks over fire OF
wood brought in by the children, mix ed with
kind Of peat. Sometimes a piece of turnes
meat, which all Christian cooks have rejected
in the butchers shops, or portion of some ami.
NAL that has come by an untimely death, and
has been distributed by generous Boyard, is
added to the porridge of beans or maize OF
which the Zgans generally support their
strength. They use no plates or spoons, but
dip their hardened fingers into the steaming
Kettle and bringing up ball of porridge q
fragment Of meat, which they cool by throwing
from one palm to the other until they can ven.
ture to cast it down their throats sThe women
and children eat after the men, who, as soon as
they have wiped their hands in their hair, take
again to their pipes, and If they can afford il
TO drinking. They make themselves merry
for an hour or two, until fatigue comes over
them, and then go pell- to their huts, or
stretch out by the embers of their fires No.
thing can be more abominably filthy than the
habits of this tribe. They are often obliged to
abandon their villages on account of the dread
full state to which they have been brought by
their carelessness. This abandonment costs
them nothing in feeling or in money they are
essentially wanderers. When the air is too pes
tiferous to breathe, they shoulder their working
utentils and their furniture, and remove mile
or two away. If it be summer, they set up
their sheds again in few hours if it be win
ter, and the frost has not yet csme on, they
form subterranean dwellings in the course Of
half night.
As we have said, good many of the Zigans
are employed in the rough labors of agriculture.
The greater number, however are artisans, and
are celebrated Tor their ingenuity. Their favor
lite trade is that of the blacksmith, but they can
turn their hands to anything; and the bazaars
of Bucharest are filled with a vast variety of
toys and fancy-work, which would do credit
to our cleverest workmen. But the vagabond
tendencies of the Zigan--perhaps, also, the con-
tempt with which ne is regarded-prevents him.
| except in the rare instances we have mentioned.
| from rising, by means of bis industry, in the
social scale. 1t is difficult to learn anything of
his religious or other opinions. From his talk
| one would sometimes fancy him to be half Chris
| tian, half Mohammedan; at other times to be
FIRE worshipper, an inidel, believer in fetishes,
or what you will. He is a man of many colors
like his language, which contains traces of an
| original character, but which is encrusted as il
were, with words borrowed it might, perhaps
| be more appropriate to say, stolen-for the Iii
| gan, like his brethren we know Of, has great
| pilfering propensites) from dozen different di-
| alects. The sound is not at all unmusical and
! noe &l.n IL. l.
are curiously characteristic. The following is
the beginning of one of them
Through the pathway Of the sky
Quail with sharpened beak doth fly,
| Chrstos praising with sharp beak
What, oh dun quail. dost thou seek,
| To the grog- shop come with me,
And treat me to some arakee ~
1t will be seen from these lines that the ideas
of the Zgaus on various points are somewhat
confused, or at any rate, it seems rather odd to
| interrupt pious quail in its doxologies by on
invitation to tpple. Perhaps, as is the case in
many eastern songs, the words are arbitrarily
thrown together for the sake Of harmony-an
observation that might apply sometimes to the
verse making in our civilized regions.
The Zigans arc not only poets and singers
but they are musicians also. and their favorite
instrument is the fiddle They often ask per-
mission of their masters the Boyards to form
what are called NltZoulin, or storms of music,
consisting of ten or twelve members, who &c
about the country to the towns and castles Of
the rich, and let themselves out at so much
an hour No ball is considered complete with
out one of the musical storms, who ask very lit
tie for their services, pretending that they are
paid by their pleasure; but who, unless they be
previously wronged, generally contrive to leave
a deficit behind them somewhere, either in the
larder or the hen roost. They often lead few
bears about with them; and when there are nc
balls toward, dance strange dance among
themselves for the amusement of the public
Forming into a circle, men and women, they be
gin by uttering frightiul cries, and then, as tn,
fiddle strikes up, whirl, jump, stoop, roll crawl
crowd together, separate, throw their arms an,
legs into the air, wag their heads shake thei
bracelets, and work themselves up into kint
of fury. The dance, in fact, is kind of com
, pendulum of the bolero. the saltarella, and tn,
fandango. Sometimes single performer goe.
, through ferocious jig which may be called th
jig of murder and suicide. for these two pleas
ant things are the basis of his representations
The acting is often so clever, that the unaecus
toned spectators shrek, and rush away to say,
themselves. The ragged and breathless artist
, tancying they want to escape payment, pursue
them with his greasy cap held out, shouting fol
piastre.
Little is really known of the relations of tn,
Zgans among themselves. Marriage can onl,
take place within the limits of the tribe, an,
generally within the limits of the property o
one master, whose permission, also, is require,
before the ceremony can take place There
no ceremony of betrothal, no intervention Q
, match h-makers or friends the youth goes to tn
father of the girl he has chosen, and, after som
; attempts at politeness-as Offering a pipe, o
praising the size of the old gentlemans beard
comes straight to the point, and proposes him
self as a son-inlaw Few questions are asked
few conditions made. Unless there be some i'm
portant objection, the young lover receives per
mission to call his comrades together, and bull
n hut during the course of the night to receiv
, his bride. The very next day he requests hi
mother to prepare a full pot of porridge, an
then repairs to the DWELLING hole six fee
square, or perhaps tent of branches--wher
the maiden of his choice, dressed in her sheer
skin tunic, with veil borrowed from a neigh
J Dor, is modestly crouching in corner H
takes her by the hand and leads her to wher
Z his family is collected. The oldest man of IL
tribe is there by appointment, encouraged by
fee of few handfuls of porridge, and hastil
A mutters a few words by way of blessing. Tn
is the whole ceremony, if, indeed, the great dee
Y that follows be not more worthy Of that name
i and thus the Zigans continue from generation
: generation. We are sorry to be obliged to ad
that both women and men are, as rule, ez
e ceedingly debauched. [Household Words.
-
n WHITE CRAyATs VEsrs.-In New York, white orr
watts and vests are cut of date in fashionable circle
ara ,ov tl. hndzp of