Mohave County miner. [volume] (Mineral Park, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1882-1918, 1890-04-12
the QUEER CUSTOMS or BRAZIL.



Rio Janeiro Letter in the N. 7.
Times: There are many curious u,s-
toms observed BY the Brazilians.
Funerals are notable In that for young
unmarried lady coffin, hearse, and the
livery Of the driver must Be bright
scarlet. the four white horses drawing
the hearss must be covered with scar
let meta, and scarlet plumes must deck
the horses heads. No women 20 to
the cemeteries. The mother, the
widow, must not exhibit her grief In
public.
For the swell funeral Of young girl
the coffin, hearse, livery Of the driver,
and nets and plHmes for the horses must
be royal purple. For elderly persons
black and gold are the adornments Of
mortuary trappings
At weddings The bride does not wear
orange blossoms, but orange flowers
are presented BY the groom and his
oride TO their unmarried friends, and
tney are supposed to pass them on. 70
their unmarried acquaintanceS. This
custom has = hidden meaning dating
back 10 the twilight Of mans history.
The flower Is an emblem OF fecundity,
and the passing bha Of the gin signi-
hes go thou and do likewise
The calling Of porters--the business
OF porterage--is regular one, and Ia
divided into classes. There are porters
whose speciality is handling pianos
delivering, transferring them. You
never SEQ piano on truck or In a
furniture van. Four men bear upright
pianos on their heads, and square and
grand pianos are carried III sings sus.
pended from two poles. resting ON the
shoulders Of four men.
Iron safes are transported by porters,
delivered from the warehouses, moved
from one place to another and put In
position--all by sheer strength,
II you buy anything-furniture q
piano, safe-the purchaser must bar
gain with the porters for the delivery.
And il you do not make your bargain
70 carry and put in position the pcrters
will leave the articles at your door, I'm
less you agree to pay additional for
placing them In your house or rooms.
In the business streets OF the city
In the wholesale and warehouse dis
tricts-the carros urbanos-a street-car
line with narrow-gauge track--runs up
one and down another Of the narrow
ways on almost every street. In the
coffee districts there are regular freight.
cars run on these tracks for the trans
port of coffee In bags to the coffee
docks.
The porters who have their habitat
In these streets use hand trucks made
10 track" on the street-car rails. As
you walk along the shady sides OF these
streets the porters, un-occupied. are
lounging in the doorways or sleeping
On their trucks. which partly obstruct
The sidewalks. You have to keep a
lookout all the time or you will soil
The bottoms OF your trousers against
he grease-dripping wheels Of these
trucks.
The streets in the residence portion
IF the city are infested day and night
with peripatetic vendors, peddlers, and
retailers Of fruits. vegetables. and, in
he summer. Of ices. Their discordant
,ries. clapping of sticks. rat-a-tat on tin
Ind iron pans, mako both day and night
lideous.
The Brazilians are fond Of looking
,ut upon the passers-by in the streets.
N the mornings and evenings the win.
lows OF the houses on the shady sides
II the streets are filled with women
md children leaning half out They
recognize their acquaintance walking
" riding by in the street-cars with
waves OF their hands. Fine places with
rounds in front of the houses have
'aised platforms. where the members
i the family sit in the evening for the
loubse purpose of enjoying the breeze
md watching the passers-by.
This Is the height OF the summer sea-
on, and the thermometer in the shade
tands for several hours OF the daytime
It from IS degrees to IS degrees. In the
BUSINESS part Of the city. with its mar
low streets, this heat is at times very
oppressive, but, except in extraordinary
easons. there is scarcely day without
! breeze. either from the bay and sea
II from the mountains, which anchor.
ties the heat perceptibly. The morn
ngs and evenings are almost invariably
resi- and delightful. The temperature
# the houses at night depends greatly
lpon their location. II they are sit
lated so as to catch the breeze from
he water or from the mountains there