The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-04-07
CARNIVAL In CUBA.
How Rich and Poor Celebrate the
Annual Festival.

Carnival day in CUBA is q great
event, and the holiday season in the
United States is tame in comparison
with it. 1t is celebrated as a sort of
church festival 1t seemed strangeg1n
this Catholic country to awaken Sun
day morning and find the whole city
on the qui vive of expectation and OF
busy preparation for a carnival. The
day was beautiful. the heat of a tropi-
cal SUN being tempered by a fresh
breeze, and the weather not uncom-
Portable until midday. The stores
were open, the cafes were swarming
with people, and there was on air of
general enjoyment all over the place.
A little after four o'clock in the after
noon word was passed that the pro-
eession was coming, and, occupying a
seat overlooking the beautiful plaza,
we remained for three hours watching
the merry-makers as they passed.
All classes and conditions mingled
in the parading throng; men, women
and children, the high and low, the
rich and poor, all seemed equally in
tent upon having sport. There was
no particular attempt at masquerade.
A few ladies wore dominoes and
masks. The great bulk of women sat
in open carriages, bonnetless and
dressed in full evening attire.
The procession was a queer one.
Following one another there were a
magnificent four finland owned by
rich planter: a carriage seating two,
which could be hired for the occasion
for a couple of dollars; q magnificent
tandem; a splendid horse hitched
singly to an elegant carriage, all re-
sembling the better class of turnouts
you have in the United States, and
horses, harness and vehicles all COM
ing from there.
The Spanish women are said to be
beautiful. | fail to see it when they
are compared with American women.
They are slight of frame, with sallow
compilations, and covered beyond
recognition with powder and paint.
The effort OF Spanish ladies seems
to be to make their artificial adorn-
ments as conspicuous as possible.
There were some seductive types Of
beauty that were unexceptionable.
Yet, after three hours gazing upon
Gll0 ll1EA dItO IOW, UllG GllGG, ullCQl0
class and common people, the per-
centages OF II that would strike
the American eye as comparing favor
ably with the fresh. vigorous, natural
womanly beauty of Uncle Sam's
daughters were exceedingly small.
Ii there were hustle. CAVITY and rev
metropolis in the day time, what. can
he sold IF fhn virrhf IS fba crat = Jr.sT,x
there was d stream of fashion, wealth
and poverty, that mingled in the pro-
cession, which bewildered and per-
picked one who revered the Sabbath.
The night cannot be described.
None of those who participated in the
parade seemed to have gone home at
night. When the gas was lighted it
flashed upon a. beautiful scene of
Ladies in full dress driving about the
plaza, or sitting quietly in their car
riages listening to the strains of music
that issued from a hundred places,
where dancing and jollity ruled the
hour
Men, ome and children swarmed
the streets and plazas, all wing with
each other in unseemly struggles to
enjoy themselves. The Tacon
Theatre, the fourth largest opera
house in the world, was aoored
over. and this. on SUNDAY nirht wasi
given over to- the demi-monde. who
crowded III and ont mon lis snacious
floor ENJOYING file lascivioI1s danza
or supping vine or coffee in the adj,
ioing cafes. Not ion rods away The
wealth and STYLE Of Havaua Gathered
In fine Casino the swell Climb f fine
place and there danced and revelled
until after day dawned Strains IF
music no,,rinn from the windows ~
almost every hall ia fine citv fold Of
other private balls.
Over the finest cafe IN NOT
100 feet from file Taeon Theatre fine
native Cubans Of low degree orasned.
each other and danced until breath-
less with excitement or fatipne
Further down the street a few nesrio
servants enioyed. themselves in n like
mannar. Peonle hero seem 10 dance
for enioyment.
They do Il; With ease and oraea rest.
mo III intervals and nevar indnrlping.
ii HE hnrlv bT,rly waltz around the
room. MS they do in fire Tinted States
T,oalying AZ tIhe native dance from ali
the points of view of society and NOR
ais Icould not helm but. w9nder What
our American mothers would saw If
they could witness the merry sneeta-
Gle of a Cuban ball. whether the mar
ticinants he hioh ar low T snent saw