Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-10-21
THE DANCING PROCESSION.
Description OF n Quaint Annual Relig
Ions Eete Mt EciIsiern eli.

Description OF n Quaint Annual Relig-
Ious Eete at EcIisterna cii.
While the Passion Play is going on at
Oberammergau there has been going on
in the Grand ,Duchy of Luxembourg tho
annual dancing procession OF St Will
brord, says the Brussels correspondent
OF the New York Tribune. 1t occurred
at the small town of Echsternach on
May 81, the Tuesday after Whitsuntide.
St Willibrord, who lived in the seventh
century, was TO the Netherlands,
flemish and Lower Countries what St
Patrick was to Ireland. lie carried
the Christian faith TO those regions,
civilized them as much as 1t was possi-
bic in tho SO barbarian times, and finally
sought rest for his last day at
Echsternach, where he founded
an abbey. The legend says that
when tho saint died the marble tomb
prepared for receiving his body was
found to be too short; but that it was
miraculously heightened so that the
sanity corpse could be laid in it. Ira
dition claims that when st. Willibrord
returned at last from his holy pilgrim
age TO Echsternach the villagers could
not restrain their joy, and demonstrated
1t by the sacred dances, which are re.
newed every year, two days after Whit
suntide. Only during the French rcvo-
luton was the custom interrupted. 1t
is now moro than ever kept up, and
30. 900 people took part in the latest
ceremony. The peasants believe in the
legend, according to which the saint
Furnishes the indifferent and incredulous
by INJECTING their cattle with an cpl
demic, the efforts OF which are like
epilepsy.
The pilgrims arrive from all places
within radius of forty miles Most OF
them come on foot, camping wherever
they can, in open air or in barns. All
among them who possess and can play
upon musical instruments bring them
along, such as flies, drums. comets,
etc, and play on them ms an accom-
paniment TO the dance. In the morn
| ing all this crowd forms itself on the
German territory, beyond the bridge
which crosses the Sure, the river front
Ter between the Grand Duchy and Ger.
many A priest, who must havo been
born at Echsternach, addresses the
crowd, places himself at It's head, and
the pilgrims begin to tramp on tho
bridge in tho direction of tho old church.
The advance guard preceded by a sex
ton dressed In rod clerical robes, sings
praises or litanies OF st. Willibrord in a
calm, digniiled religious tone which
strangely contra t. with the elamor oil
the thousand instruments which ac'
company tho extraordinary dances
OF the pcoplc forming tho bulk OF the
| procession. Those dances are nothing
bun repeated jumps; AMI The highest
! jumps arc cons d1r1l the sscatcst evil
dence OF devotion. The pilgrims ad.
vance slowly in rows. blocking up en-.
tirely tho streets, women holding chill.
dren in their arms, old people being
supported on both sides by friendly as
sistants, peasants with satchels on
their backs, containing provisions to
last during the pilgrimage. All these
people never cease for moment to
dance or rather to jump rs high as they
can until they reach tho old church,
where the priests bless the many arti-
Giles they want to place under St Will
brord's invocation. The pilgrims spend
the remainder Of the day In the streets