The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-31
PIOUS PLAYING.

Curious Old National Customs Whereby
tho Mexican Celebrates Holy and Passion
Weeks - 'sOno Continuous Round OF
Pleasure'-Pretty sccnes-The Ante-did-
night Promenaue-Protuse Compliments.
A crrrtspondent at the Ciy of Mexico
writes: Passion week prd Holy week are
queerly mixed up in this county with new
dresses and promenades after a heathenish
manner. All Mex can lari.c, wear two en-
tlrely new toilets in Holy week-one OF
light col0rs on Holy Thursday and very
handsome black silk or satin dress on Good
Friday-so that Tor iuttnight before the
dressmakers are exceedingly busy inventing
and making a lot of iinery. The tailors are
also hard at work, rs the gehtlemen follow
the example and don entirely new garments
on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. On
these days every one is 10 oe seen in the
street or promenaGcs IN the morning and
IN the churches IA the evening. Thence
they 10 10 the Locaio or public square, TO
hear the instrumental concerts generally
given there on these nights. At about IL
O'Clock on Thursday and Friday mornings
the ladies pass up and down Platcros street,
the broadway Of this city, wearing coquet-
tlshly their new dresses and their mantil-
| las, and the young men stand in lines
| leaning against the street walls to
admire them rs they walk past, at the same
time paying the most exaggerated compli-
lnents. This absurd custom has given the
| young Mexicans who indulge in IL the name
OF "lsgartias, or lizards, ana some very
severe articles have been published in the
papers here, condemnihg this homage paid
80 publicly to the ladies. The enthusiasm
of the "lagarliiaS" has somewhat abated
but the custom still exists. In Holy week,
n sort OF Toy Is used which is called a
"matraCa, This is an ornament with d
! llltle rattle attached to II in the form OF a
| bird, Il basket, n flower or any other pretty
design, aud made OF gold, silver fiiigree
wood or ivory. All the Indies and children
carry one and rattle II ~ they walk along
the street. The "matraCt" signifies the
rattle used IN the churches in these during
mass, when bell cannot he rung. Even
The usual Chlldrcn's toys have the rattle at
tached to them, aud the noise one hears IN
the streets during the last days Of Holy
week is something horrible,
There IS another antique custom with
which Holy week ends here. This is the
burning OF Judas. 1t takes place on SatuI-
day morning 1T about 10 o'clock, when the
"rlnrin y ar rns,rrae,; nn ot rhy,s, t,d I,,s
is always +, n,nst oh.r,d Gn,,ra Ia -
sometimes dreaseJ ,s 'rn.l, Sson,o,i,nos a 10
snilor I'm, com,n,,,I l., 40
nrn costume H., s;t,J ,r;, n G.aio ,a'o
ers inside md ot tho nnmr ~, w.. ".Iari,i,
those nre sst ofI' md hnrnei IN tho Hn,,hI,o
snunre in the str,ots in the hnnsne- in tnc,
evervwhere N,,y 81 thn,n ar, ,Ja to
rcprSaent nnlitical n, n,,,u, ",aii 'lr,nwn ,,er'
honnpra and some nr,inLlo nao,,. bnva
Their enrmips rcnrndncpd in ,hesa II -i,res
nnd soe Them hnfn ,,r s,,b ~ raat aSs VS.
The rcipions ohsarvances 81 IInr w.ol. We
the same ns in thn lrn,,cJ S,atna' G 1n H" a.
Thursday nconle v,,i, th. dilsron,
chnrrhrs thn oIi"rs of Which nr, ,ecorataa
with flowers md tanors and an Good M
Jny they On ~ honr tha, " .nrr,nn ' and mo-
the visit oi unoenme 3 nr condoionco c,r IL, ~,
death of Christ ''"'''N'N' wv ''''
I'm Passion week ono,hor oId no,,o,oI
custom IL obaerbeJ TLis ~ tho ,,,assao dn
lns flores u mr. thc Hover nrnr,a,,,Gas Th uo
takes plnco on EriJav morm;n,,n,n ,it,la
distance iron ia. r;p" m a., rs, -. n.I,e