Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-04-11
AN, EASTERN FESTIVAL.
The Annual Celebration of the Finding of
tho True Gross.

The Annual Celebration of the Finding OF
tho True Gross.
Early in the autumn, all over Syria
and the East, is celebrating the finding |
of the True Cross by the Empress
Helena.
You know the legend-how leaving
her palace in Constantinople the En-
press set sail for the Holy Land. All
along the coast huge watchfres were
built and relays of watchers appointed.
As soon as her search was rewarded
the light on the nearest hilltop blazod
forth the glad tidings, and as if lighted
by the magic touch of swift-hying
angel one hill after another caught up
and carried forward the news from
one end of Syria to the other, across
Asia Minor, and the Bosporus until
the answering shout of joy rang within
the palace wallis at Constantinoplc:
"Joy, joy! The Cross is found!'
Now, hundreds of years later, when
the telegraph wires spread news of
JOY faster than the old system ofwatch-
fires, we here in the East yearly
gather, round a ruddy blaze to cele-
brate this search and hold a festival
with songs.
Right below our Mount Lebanon
home in an open field was long fat
rock especially dedicated to use at this
festival. All the children of the vii
lage for days beforehand would climb
the high mountain slopes back of the
village in every direction for bellan or
the sun-dried cracking thorns On
our rock we would first build high
tower of sticks. mostly abstracted by
stealth, from the woodpiles at home.
Around this, and overtopping it, the
bundles of thorns were piled-a cord
at last being wound spirally around to
keep all in place. just as soon as it
was dark and how eagerly we
watched for the time to conceive
would all gather around, forming
circle, and dance until our leader,
chosen as having contributed most
toward the bonfire, would set fire to the
pile. Famed by the evening breeze
it would almost Immediately shoot up
into huge pyramid of flame, scatter
ing sparks in all directions and giving
active employment to the older ones
in preventing the ventursome little
ones from making martyrs of them
selves in their excitement. AS the
thorns burnt up we replenished them
from noighboring reserve piles.
When all but the largest logs at the
center and base had been consumed we
would again form circle and the
maddest, merriest time would then en-
sue. Breaking out into wild song
we would incite one another to brave
the flames and jump through, or over,
the wide bed of live Goals. The older
ones leading, one and another would
break away from our circle, leap
across, rejoining it at the other side
With our bare feet and simple blue
dyed cotton garments this meant Sc
we're burns and much danger, for tho
circle of fire was wide one, and the
hot brands and ashes were spread
about in all directions; but he was in
deed coward who before the even
ing's close had not attempted and ac-
complished the feat-not once, but sew
eral times.
At the close of the evening we
would end our feast by partaking OF
little cakes baked with oil and sweet
ened with honey. Then joining hands
for the last time around the dying EN-.
bers we would repeat an invocation tc
the clouds to send us rain once more,
and TO the earth to reopen her
springs, to refresh the thirsty soil.
From April to October we rarely have
a drop of rain about Mount Lebanon,
and mothers always say their mothers
told them that the early autumn rain:
waited for the Empress Helena to ac
complish her errand lest they should
endanger the success of her watch-firt
signals, and that year by year since
the rains wait for this festival, les
they should extinguish the memorial
flames.
In later years we have often climbed
to the very top of the high mountain
near us to watch the neighborins
villages. As many as thirty or fort,
+! bonfires could be seen from this point
all along the sea coast, on neighbor
J ing slopes, and up long valley whicl
opens toward the east Every littl
hamlet-even the sheepfolds some
times sent forth light into the sur
{ rounding darkness The whole darl
expanse below, as well as the SIX,
above, would be ablaze with sparklin,
o points of light and the effect was no
one to be easily forgotten.
So little of pleasure comes into tn
/, life OF child in our downtrodden an
!, unhappy land that any thing that con
meets happiness and joy with the lif
and cross of Him who was once
' child in Sszareth is great blessing
e el-Wide Awake