Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-04-10
A Festival at MappilIa -TcrpsichOroan Ca


A Festival nj Neutrality-suspicious. ca
pacity or the Women,a. ut--,l1I Ir.1s
Al correspondent of the New Orleans Della
TINS speaks Of a festival during Christmas
week. ..., .f,t,t1g5yF
During this week each district or ward Of
the city has It's 'festa," and on that occasion
tho whole ward is alive to amusement such
az PROFESSIONS, fireworks, the illumination
of ali the houses and ''bailars,n in all the prin
oipal ones. The style is free and easy; the
whole population walk through the streets
and look at the different objects presented,
and the variety of lighting up the houses
many of them being lighted with Chincse
lamps, made in all kinds of shapes and repre-
senting all sorts of things; which give II an
unusually gay appearance. Az most OF the
large merchants and different business men s
houses you will see them thrown open, ana
all theirfriends going in and coming out the
youup people dancing TO fine music; and then
when they have looked about, walk away
and stop somewhere else; aud so on, until two
o'clock in the morning. Any one is at hb-
erty to enter their houses, yet as rule, no
ono but their acquaintance do so, as with us
on the first of January.
You ask any of the ladies to dance, and IT
they are not engaged they do SO Us Prethly as
auy one could wish. They all have nice
suppers, and after you have danced lew
times YOU can leave and accompany some OF
the girls. This latter policy wns mine, and
i'm consequence, lost my heart se-verial
times. Our girls can't dance with them at all.
They can dance everything you ever heard OF.
All our dances, with their own--two OF
which, the Habeneiro and Casadores, are ele-
CANT. The first of these is slow, sad and
grnceful, not unlike the old Spanish dance;
the other is kind of quadrillei all the figures
different from ours. There is one particular
advantage they have, and that is in their
floors; they are all made of the Teak wood
which is very hard aud pollshes like ebony;
therefore, YOU have fine smooth floor supe-
rior to anything we could get up. Then
their houses are enormous, as all houses are
in the East, not unfrequently ninety ieetfron
and the same in depth, with balconies all
around the house; hence, II room sixty by
forty feet is very common, as d parlor. Be
sides all these dances, attended a ball given
by the Alcalde (Mayor) on the night OF the
Festa of st. Cruz, in the ward of his resi-.
dence. In that ward there are the principal
wealthy families, and the procession and fire.
works were unusually extensive in conse-
quence of the Alcalde's ball. .s..r ..
went IL o'clock, a1d the plaza infront o.
his house was most brilliantly lighted up
After a short while, the procession made 1t;
appearance, with a splendid band leading
They passed Just by the Alcaldes door, and
each band would stop and play something
On each side was a row of soldiers with Jus,
their bayonets on, caps in hand, and candle
There were many different figures and repre-
sentations carried on the shoulders of the
people. Nothing could have passed off more
orderly and quietly than all this. Not {
drunken man nor the least sign of rowdyisn
visible. This is attributable to the thct thai
they have 10000 troops there, and you art
never out of sight of one After the whole
procession passed in the plaza, there was 8
beautiful display of fireworks, during which
one of those little fire-balls came into the
house and fell into the lap of a young lady
There was, of course, great excitement and q
brushed it off. 1t burnt a hole in her light
pima dress, which she very becomingly rem
edied by putting on little apron, and tinished
her evening" .I- .i.,
His house forms square, and in the center
was a fine band of only about fifty musicians
twenty violins. was there, and with
another off of the ship, Mr.. Ward and the
Commander, were all that attended; i'll full
tog. made IL "pass' at young lady whom
had noticed Mt party the evening before,
and who was pretty enough to kill at about
nine hundred yards; had never spoken to
her in my life before and she replied, 81
Senior, con nun gusta, and away we went.
This was the first dance in which had let
myself out, as it was the time then or never.
After had finished, about a half dozen
fellows came up and introduced themselves
and said, "'Well, am glad some one has come
here that can out-dance Schuyler" and they
really seemed as though it did do them good
| be dances very well and is therefore in thu
way of poorer partners and all talking men
| for these girls love 10 dance above all things
| After that turn had no difficulty In gettlnl
I partners for any dance and had my pick.