The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-03-29
THE CARNIVAL AT NICE,
Confusion and Confetti 1.-THE Battle of
FlOWers---The French Holiday.
,neeial eorres7;.,.,dauce national Tr,bune.

Would be very incomplete winch dlu not
clude the carnival at Nice. The carnival,
which formerly extended as far north as Paris
and was magnificent in Florence, has fallen
almost out of existence, except at Rome and
Nice; and to these points crowds Of people
Journey to take part In, or at least, to see this
festiyity. For d week before it begins, the
trivial papers of the Riviera are full of an
nounceAents concerning the order of proceed
ure; and, along the streets little bags are ex-
posed for sale, marked carnival Nice Cos
tunes and masks are exposed too, and guam
titles OF frames of fine wire netting designed
to cover the face. With absurd deliberatiou q
small force of workmen dig holes along the
curb of the Promenade de8 Anglais, by the sea,
and along the Rue st. Francois dc Pagle. a
block inland, to the house OF the Project; and
mark the course of the procession by poles
stuck in these holes and decorated with ban
ners. These preparations made, an evening
procession, on the Wednesday preceding Ash
Wednesday, opens the carnival This wear a
drenching rain spoiled this ceremony ana tbs
carnival did not really begin until Thursday
afternoon. Then, suddenly, the streets became
alive with children dressed as clowns or envel-
oped in cambria dorninoes. All the maskers
carried bags, marked carnival a Nice" and
many of the masllers IN carriages had great
boxes. These recaptacles hold confetti" poor
substitute for the clean snow of an American
SNOWFALL fight. Confetti is the Italian word
adopted by the French for the fine grains of
gypsum with which the maskers pet each
oth4 and the unmasked lockers on. AS sud
denly as the children appeared, the cabs of
Nice emerge, decorated in every variety of
cambria, in taste good, bad and Indifferent.
Sometimes the harness, the whip and the driver
are enycloped in cambria to match The bright
sunshine, white houses and streets, and gay
banners, with the prancing children and stray
groups of adult InaslSeIs, all contribute to make
pretty scene, which has no annoying feature
to mar it until o'clock. An agreeable feature
of the carnival is that everything is prescribed
and there is no excess At 3 o'clock however,
custom permits the procession to move and,
forthwith, all unmasked pedestrians are fair
game. The municipality makes an annual ap-
preparation for the carnival, from which prizes
are awarded TO the most ingenious or the pref
test individual costumes, and, also, for the
finest cars and groups of horsemen Accord
ingly, the procession included, this year, an
enormous woolly rGn, mounted by huge
jumping jack, whose legs and arms moved con-
yulsively from time to time. Another car rep
resented Neptune standing upon a shell and
driving his steeds.
SOME CURIOUS CoNCEITs.
A group Of horsemen, clad in stuff of delicate
colors and wearing gauze butterfly wings,
looked very much like cluster of these pretty,
lowering creatures and were a charming feature
of the procession. Scattered about the streets
were amusing single costumes, such as sheaf
of wheat which moved rapidly along, extin-
gushing the man within aud revealing only
his large boots Such, too, was the British
tourist, as he frequents Switzerland, with his
black high hat, white scarf aud portfolio; and
his wife, represented by an angular woman of
straw, seated ON an uncomfortable chair, borne
by tired looking peasant. A figure which
was greeted with great favor and received an
undue share of confetti, was horseman
mounted on small pony, which animals tail
was concealed under a false head. This false
head was matched by the ponys hind legs, col
ored for the occasion; and straw woman
seated back to back with the real rider, pre-
scented a most hfe-like and surprising appear
ance. At the first glance it was precisely as
il the pony were two animals and both riders
real. Mixed In among the cars and horse
men, and maskers on foot, were carriages
filled with people 0f AL ages in every variety
OF cheap costume, supplied with masks,
bags of confetti and little scoops for throwing
1t. For hours the air was full of flying clouds
OF hard little GYPSUM pebbles, which make the
face sting and burn and leave white traces
wherever they strike the clothing. But every
one was III carnival hnmoT, and had no angry
feelings al being peited, or, ii he had found it
well TO get away TO some spot out of the limits
assigned to the procession, and wait for FIVE
o'clock. At five o'clock custom DEGREES an end
to Thursdays proceedings, and by six the only
trace left of the crowds Is the white coating of
the streets. On Friday the complete nuisance
is vanished wholly. and through the. morning
work goes on as usual At three o'clock, how
ever, there is another procession, very different
from that of the day before. In this there are
no masks nor costumes, but every one carries
flowers, and carriages and horses are charmingly
decorated with yioiets and great houghs Of some
delicate shrub which looks Ike the sensitive
plant in fab bloom.
THE BATTLE or FLOWERS.
This is as pretty fete as can well be mag
ined, and it is pleasant to see how all the
world takes a part in it. The route is the
same for all the days of the carnival, and on
Friday during the Battle of Flowers the Prom
enaae DIES AngiAis swsrms with men, women
and children of all ages, sizes and degrees of
poverty, who enjoy the sight. The point of
this procession lies in the custom of throwing
flowers at ones acquaintance and indeed, at
any one who strikes the fancy. A conspicuous
feature of the Battle of Flowers is the presence
of some expert riders, who manage their horses
with bouquets In each hand and make rash
plunges to catch the flowers thrown at them.
At intervals along the route of the procession
bands were stationed, and tribe of stroling
players Won rich haryests besides. Musicians
of every sort are popular at Nice from the little
squeaking scraps of tin loosely fastened in a
wooden frame to the family whe have harp,
q violin and two GIaBdOlinS, which they play
with some degree of skill The variety OF
strollfng musicians is very curious and the
stroliing family familiar sight. Often a man
aid woman with a piano-organ on a sort of
truck lead about tiny boy and girl, who sing
for coppers, the father filing up gaps in the
children's singing and the mother managing
the accompaniment. Harps, vioins, piccolos,
and songs of all sorts greet the ear, and good
music is commended and bad music endured
by the community with a patience hard to
understand. All the afternoon the Battle of
Flowers goes on, and the stream of carriages
flows slowly along the Promenade in tbs sun
shine, then inland block to the Rue st.
Francois de Paule. and along this to the
Prefecture. On the sidewalks women and
little girls carry on their heads broad flat
baskets OF flowers made into dainty bouquets,
and as one watches the pretty scene, it is hard
home ice and snow and sleet make
flower growing easy, and whole race of
neatly clad little flower girls hold possession of
the promenade all winter and greet one with
little set formula :" A bouquet, Just penny,
just one, Just new The French love flowers
and wear them habitually. In the poor streets
of Old Nice many windows have fower-pets
with violets and geraniums; and no table
d. hote, however simple, is complete without q
little palm In pretty majolica rot The Battle
of Flowers is q fitting outgrowth of this love
of flower decoration, and ia REGARDED very
seriously as one Of the events of the year. After
NJ ! 4