The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-08-21
MEXICAN CUSTOMS.
COMMUNICATING THE LAST SCENES
IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST.
Fanny b. Wards Description of the Land
of Flowers and Guitars and Fam
dangOs and Songs-GoOd FRI
day Festivities.
rCor. New York SUM-


Good Friday is observed as a sort Of May
festival This year, as usual, the Paseo de
las Flores Glover Promenade) was held
along the Viga, the picturesque canal which
stretches away between willows and poplars
to the far-famed floating gardens Of the
ancient Aztecs. The scene along the his
toric causeway was astonishing to foreign
ers, and as charmingly peculiar as it was
typical of a poetic and pleasure loving Poo
pie. They are early risers in this land OF
the sun, where breakfast is not taken till
midday, and everybody is enjoying long
siesta during those hour; when Americans
are most actively at work. At sunrise the
Viga and its boulevard were thronged
with the aristocracy of the city and a vast
concourse of plebeians and Indians. By
o'clock the festivities were at their
height. For miles along the tree-lined
avenue a constant procession of vehicles,
horsemen, and pedestrians packed the space
between green booths on either side, while
the canal was crowded with canoes and Ven
etian-like gondolas. Everything imaginable
on wheels was here-the stately closed car
riage of the Mexican millionaire, open ba-
rouches, coupes, victorias, dog carts, wagon
cites, even velocipedes and tricycles, while
thousands of horseman galloped gayly be-
tween. The severe simplicity of the Ger
man and English style of the riding habit
isoned, silver-decked equestrianS. Most O
the ladies were dressed in what We wou
consider full ball or opera ooStume-pa
silks or satins, no wraps or covering for til
head, except now and then lace mantillo.
draped Spanish fashion, upon the back hair
and wealth of jewels such as the fair Mex
canas are famous for.
Although the laws of propriety are so
vigorously strict that gentleman may net
mir IoESY
whom he is betrothed, yet flirting is openly
INDUCED in to extent which would put
to blush New York, Chicago, or San Fran
cisco. Following a senorita up and down
the promenade and staring intently in her
face is an accepted mode of compliment here.
doubtless gratifying to the young lady.
but sometimes dangerous to the adorer il
she happens to have others equally i,,avotei.
and it not infrequently har5pens that duels
are the result. , she che sSelng pre-eminently >
belle who can. boast the greatest number
of such encounters.
The canal was hidden by boats big AMI
little, the majority being long, clumsy,
raft-like barges, each with a covereI
space in the middle, and a deck at
both ends, and propelled by three or
four Indians, who push their long pole
against the canal bottom, singing as they
go. Others were enclosed with an airy
lattice work of woven rusheS intertwined
with flowers, thus shading the happy occu-
pants. Many, gay with flags and awnin =,
were exact limitations of Venetian gondola
and thousands were simply dugouts, t o
primitive chalupas which Cortez found in
use among the natives nearly four centurie
ago. Most of the canoes carried guitar
players, a few were seen with harps OF
viols, and others had reed instruments
which may have been patterned from that
of the great god Pan among the river
PUSHES Here everybody sings for thesEs
Happy go-ucky children of nature are full
~ music. The air vas vocal with their
meaningless folk songs rendered IN softe
Castilian, or high-pitched patriotic hymns
which just incorporate a great deal
abcut The ran acenaant virtues o. "f'or-