Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-06-18
The Fiery Dove-CuriOus ReIig.
fous Ceremony at Florence.

|H
Yesterday the annual ceremony of the
fiery dove came off with much eclat in
the beautiful cathedral of Santa Maria
del Flore. This is very ancient and
curious usage, dating from the 18th CEN
tury. 1t is best known here as the
scoppio del caro-, or explosion of the
cart. According to tradition, certain
M. Pazzo del Pazzi-a name signifying,
when literally translated, "madman of
madmen ''-was the best lance among
the italian paladins in the crusadejust $50
years ago, and was the first to plant the
Christian banner on Jerusalem's blood
stained walls. To reward his prowess
Godfrey de Bouillon presented him
with three small fragments of flint,
Clipped from the Holy Sepulchre..
Brought to Florence, these were
carefully preserved in a golden
pyx. and since then, on every succeeding
Saturday. in Passion week, spark has
been struck from them to light the altar
candles in the cathedral. A lofty car,
or rather tower upon wheels, hung with
fireworks, and around the basement of
which are old paintings, dim and black
ened by time, of episodes in Pazzo's
campaigns, is stationed opposite the chief
entrance to that magnificent church, and
is connected with the choir by tightly
strained rope passed up the centre aisle
at about seven feet from the ground. At
certain moment of the mass match is
applied to tin dove, which is sort of
frework, and which flies along the rope,
splitting out showers of sparks as it passes
little above the heads of the congrega-
tion, until, on reaching the car, it ignites
the wheels and squibs and crackers fixed
about it, and there is forthwith pro-
digious cracking and fzzing, attended
by much smoke, but little visible fire,
for all this occurs about noon, and moth
! ing is tanner than fireworks in broad
daylight. The explosion at an end, four
great white oxen, wreathed and shaded
with branches, as in Leopold Roberts
pictures, are yoked to the tower, which
they drag off, slow and tottering, to the
Palazzo Pazzi in a neighboring street,
where more fireworks are let off, and the
performance is over for the year. 1t ap-
pears that its cost used to be borne by
the Pazzi family until a very recent
date, when declining fortunes, or perhaps
increasing taxation, made them desire
to discontinue it on account of the ex-
pense. But the announcement of this
intention caused quite ferment in the
surrounding country. With the fight
of the dove. the peasantry for miles
around connect the prospects of good
harvest. What the prompt and perfect
liquefaction of St. Januarius's blood is
to the Neapolitan, the uninterrupted
flight of the tin colombina is to the Tus-
can. If it sticks ON the way, the pros
pect is bad, and hail or drought
or some other disaster must be ex-
pected.. The Florence municipality
thought it expedient to keep up the
usage at its own cost. 1t is to be hoped
it found its reward in the qualification
of the multitude of peasants, uncouth
but gentle, who, with sprinkling OF
Florentine idlers and curious foreigners,
yesterday filled the cathedral, and
crowded about it. All went we'll enough
to satisfy the most superstitious. At
the appointed time the pigeon started
from the altar and shot along the rope,
scattering sparks around, and, in spite
of drizzle of rain, the fireworks
cracked off merrily. The gentle mob
Otalian crowds are generally extremely
well behavedD gradually streamed out of
the church, and all was over until next
year. The brown-visaged rustics who
swarmed in the cathedral have returned
to their hamlets with hearts at ease, con-
fidept of frst-rate vintage and copious
corn crop. Italy has just now great need
that the anticipations should be fulfilled.