Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-03-25
Foreign Correspon tene' Free Press and Times
Letter rom Rome.
THE CARNIVAL OF 1881 Ten DAYS OF Fun
IN THR RTERSAL CITY.

IN THE RTRRSAI CITY.
RoME, March A.
This annual fiesta is a movable one and
comes Just before Lent as its name indicates,
being derived from the Italian words 'carne
and cals", farewell TO the flesh This year it
began on the 10Th of February and continued
to Ash Wednesday, March 2nd-ten days!
Think of this, ye sober, earnest, money max
ing Americans. A whole community gives
itself up for ten days to fun, frivolity and
buffoonery-of malice prepense and year by
year They prepare for it beforehand by
large subscriptions on which the King heads
the list. They stimulate zeal and in
ventive genius by prizes offered for the
best maskers, single or in companies, for
the most beautiful balconies, and for the
fastest running horses on the Corso. This,
the principal business street of Rome, and
over mile long, is covered with yellow
earth to prevent the slipping of the horses,
the windows and balconies (and each window
has its balcony up to the seventh story, and
even from the roofs over the balustrades
there are lockers DOWN are all gay with
floral wreaths and arches with flags and ban
ners and bright colored hangings. The Queen
has her balcony; and the Russian Princes
have theirs, as we'll as the rest of the aris-
tocracy, Italian and foreign. These bal
comics, all bring good prices, many of them
Enthusiastically when sold to the English
and American snobs who come here TO make
a display. There was an American in Flor
encc, last Winter, named Livingston, who
distinguished himself by driving team of
twenty splendid we'll Unmatched horses, adorn-
ed with gold-mounted harnesses, before a
drag. carving only a coachman by his side
and two footmen behind. All the world
stood acape as he passed,
Every afternoon at one o'clock the Corso
is crowded with people from end to end
Streets. balconies, windows, roofs to
throw at each other confetti, on the con-
tett days and flowers on the flower days
certain days are assigned for each. "Con-
fettf' are little balls of earth, about the size
of large peas, covered with lime paste and
are hawked about for sale in great abundance
by the peck or half bushel- The war Of con-
teti is waged with great zeal, the gray
boards entering into it with quite as much
alacrity as the boys. Any person distin-
guished by any popularity Of dress or bear
ing or mask, and those on horses or In car
riages, become al once the targets OF all the
shots. The beautiful girls and women (and
they are all TO be seen on the balconles) are
sought out by The young men and challenged
TO return VI nre, Which they give with great
spirit. wire masks are worn TO protect the
lace from the singing enects OF these Shots
Many persons on loot and In carriages LOOK
pleasure In running the gauntlet OF the whoie
Torso, such uaring provoking everywhere
storm OF confetti. sometimes whoie
basket OF lime was thrown upon The head
mol often' however. ! saw one handsome
young woman IN carnage with others sopeit'
ed that her mask and hat and shawl were
knocked on and she met the Storm and re-
turned 1t as best she could, with bare face
and neck.
Candies and sugared almonds flew about
loosely, thrown by those who desired to see
tho fierce scrambling OF the boys after them.
On flower days the abundance OF the How
era would he truly amazing to one who
did not consider the mildness of this Roman
winter-no frost here, and the Campagns is
carpeted with wild flowers of all sorts.
These are sold for mere nothing in quaint
ties from hand bouquet TO bushel basketful
while the Corso is gay with roses and choice
flowers, and rare bouquets fastened TO poles
ten or fifteen feet high, the whole length OF
them, for the convenience Of handing them
to the balconies. The war OF flowers ragged
as holly as that OF tue confetti, and the
favorite beauties on the balconies no doubt
rejoiced in as many fragrant bouquets as they
knew how, to dispose of. Maskers, single
and in parties, afforded amusement by theiI
buffooneries, and professions of them on
foot and in carriages paradcd through the
Corso and other principal streets, exhibiting
every variety OF costume-the comic, the
grotesque the ridiculous, the pleDeian, Inc
aristocratic, the geographical and the historl'
cal, many OF them very amusing ingenious
and costly, and deserving the prizes toI
which they we're competing.
Here and there, also, companies OF Conta'
DIM (peasants), young men and women 10
their picturesque costumes, were dancing
their favorite dance, the Tarantula, to the
music of tambourines, and entertaining
crowds ofpcople.
THE HORSE RACES.
AT 5 o'clock of each afternoon, the booming
of cannon announced the grand climax of the
days amusements- running OF the horses
A dozen or more fleet horses ran the length
of the Corso, loose, through these excited and
shouting crowds of people, having spurs at
tached to them by thongs, which constantly
goaded them in the race to greater speed.
% ca5ci uiC tHey ioi Tut SSuiSS' Ssp~ei'J
after the first day, that it is impossible to
get them all off at the exact moment
As the braying of trumpets announces
their approach the crowd divides in the cen
tire to give them way, and Immediately after
their lightning like passage closes up behind
them, all eager 10 learn who Is the victor.
Last year, one of the horses happening TO be
some distance behind, the unwilling crowd
closed up before him, barring his way, anu
Inc furious morse uasheu III upon 'ncin' neai
killing several persons lhis year one Vi
the grooms, while STRIVING 10 restrain one OF
the horses roma premature start, was severe
iy kicked anu was oorhe Oh the gfounu HE
less
The victorious horses are led through Inc
principal streets, conducted by Danu Oh nu-
sic and followed in grand procession by all
So much for the carnival day. At night