Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-21
THE ros.ADAs

On Christmas eve, after o'clock dinner
in the great hall of San Antonio. which the
servants made haste to remove, came the
Posadas-a curious mixture of religion
superstition and amusement. but verv pret-
ty. The meaning of it is this At the time
when the decree went forth from Caesar
Augustus that =" all the world should be
taxed, the Virgin and Joseph. having
come out of Galilea to Judea to be in
scribed for the taxation, found Bethlehem
so full of people, who had arrived from all
parts of the then known world, that thev
wandered about for nine days without find
ing admittance in any house or inn and
on the ninth day they took shelter in a
manger, where the Saviour was born The
eight days wandering of the Holy Family
to the ooSadasis represented, and seems in
tended more for the amusement of the
children than for anything serious. Yet
young and old, servants and children. take
part in it. A lighted taper is put into the
hand of each and procession is formed.
two by two, which marches all through the
house, the walls and corridors of which
must be previously decorated with lamps
and evergreens, the whole party singing the
Litanies as they go. The procession of
which we formed part was headed by a
group Of little children. They wore little
II.
white feathers, white satin shoes, wings of
white gauze. and all the diamonds. pearls
and other jewels the family possessed in
bandeaux, brooches, necklaces, bracelets
ETC., and were supposed to be the troop of
ANGELS ATTENDANT UPON THE NATIVITY.
At last the procession. after long wan
derlng, drew up before closed door. and
whiz bang. went Il lot of fireworks. sud
m HuyrNe + 1
to represent the descent of the angels.
Then another group of ladies appeared.
dressed TO represent the shepherds who
watched their fiocks by night on the plains
OF Bethlehem. At this point yoices-sup-
posed to be that of Mary and joseph
struck up hymn in which they begged
for admittance, saying that the night was
cold and dark that the wind blew hard
that they were weary that Mary was i'll.
and they prayed for nights shelter. A
chorus OF voices from within refused ad-
mlttance. Again those without entreated
shelter, and at length declared that she at
the door, who had not where to Law her
head, was the Queen of Heaven. At this
name the doors flew wide open, and the
holy family entered, singing. The scene
within was very pretty, arranged with
great care and expense, called 7lacimiente.
Platforms, extended all around the room,
were covered with moss, on which were
disposed groups of wax figures, generally
representing passages from different parts
OF the New Testament, though sometimes
they began with Adam and Eve in Para
disc. There was the Annunciation. the
Salutation of Mary to Elizabeth, the Wise
Men of the East, the Shepherds the Flight
into Egypt, etc. Many of the figures were
borrowed from the village church, and
others were gotten up for the occasion. re-
gardless of cost. There were tall palms.
acacias, azalias, olives and even fruit-bear-
ing figs, pomegranates and oranges planted
in tubs, little fountains that cast up fairy
columns of water, flock of living lambs,
and a little cradle imbedded in flowers. in
which lay an infant Jesus. One of the