The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-12-26

The GREAT FESTIVAL ~ A sUMMe n.
LIKE SETTING

~ comes In tho Height 81 the Outdoor
Bathing season and T. Celebrated
Amid blooming wild Fiowcrs-A Sol.
emn Religious Soiiday.
As the season consecratcd hy oil Chris
tlan peoples. uf whatever race or climc.
draws near, how few OF us realize how dif
fcrcntly H. Is observed according to the pc
sition Of the observer on this globe Of ours
itself 80 small an atom tn the immensely
Of the universal The northern nations Of
Europe welcome II with good cheer and so
ciai gatherings. the jewellers on English
soil with yule log and mistletoe, our own
people with wreaths Of evergreen aud
holly, and among all those there fingers the
fragrance of the ancient traditions Of good
old st. Nicholas, the children's friend with
tenn Of reindeer aud burden of toys, which
the legends tell were meant for dstrihu
ton among the good little children.
But this Il tall, TOO serious for Christmas
tide How do our neishbors of warmer
cimes keep the festivali For them Santa
Claus and his outfit would be mystery
too deep to be penetrated The only snow
they have ever seen lies miles away outhe
slopes Of their volcanoes They hive never
4 uttTu tllc merry ltlate VI llle SltlAl uGli "
the keen ring of the skate on n frosty
morning. while IA snow storm would aston
ish them iis much ~ we should be amazed
! by the importation of one of their earth,
/ quakes
Let us take a peep NJ Peru, our lovely
/ southern sister Blessed with "A climate
! almost perfect, where the heliotrope grows
wild on the hillside aud flowers bloom all
the year round, there is no more gentle
! kindly, hospitable people on earth Lima,
the capital, is renowned for the beauty and
grace of its ladies', and the children are like
animated Christmas cards. There is no
jealousy Of the foreigner He is welcomed,
entertained and treated kindly aud fairly
by the government and the people. Life
in Peru is of quieter, gentler character
than us we know it in the hurry and rush
of our business eagerness, and one who
has lived among them and learned to ap.
preciate their lovsble qualities will often
send back a grateful glance of RETROSPECT
ton,
Az trav'ers oft look back at eve when eastward
darkly going,
TO gaze upon the light they leave still faint behind
! them glowing
Among the AngloSaXon dwellers in
Peru Santa Claus is not forgotten, and
the approach of Christmas is looked for
ward to with eager expectation in many a
childish heart. The tabled shoe of the an
cient dame with her numerous progeny,
the glass slipper of Cinderella, and the
trials and triumphs of the Sleeping Beauty,
are as familiar to them as to our own little
ones Perhaps some who may read these
lines may remember a dozen years ugo to
have Sec 1e parlors of one of the leading
foreign families in Lima filled with a de-
lighted audience to witness the debut of
the daughter of the house as Cinderella.
the beautiful child bearing herself with as
perfect self possession as the bride of the
prince rs she afterward showed when, at
the drawing room of her majesty in Lon
don, she bowed before the queen, herself
the fairest among them all
But Peru lies Il few degrees south OF the
equator and while the American boy is
furnishing his skates or putting his sled
in order, his Peruvian brother is Fastening
to the seashore, and the summer bathing
season is at it's height Christmas gifts
are not so plentiful, the shops not so
crowded with puzzled customers, nor their
windows so filled with dazzling novelties
as with us; but beautiful custom obtains
there as throughout all South American
countries AS the season rolls on apace
and the sacred anniversary draws nigh
one of the largest rooms is set apart, and a
stage improvised, on which is built up, in
varying degrees of DETAIL according to the
ability of the family,'a representation of
the scene at Bethlehem, with all its sur
roundings faithfully shown. In the dis
tance are the shepherds watching their
hocks-the wise men of the east in royal
robes, bringing gifts from afar, and in tho
foreground the humble manger, with the
holy family grouped around the cradle
while the star of Bethlehem shines brightly
in the sky above. Gold, silver and Jewels
are avished on the decoration of the scene
days are devoted to perfecting its smallest
detail, and on Christmas eve, and for days
thereafter, friends and visitors are ad
mitted to gaze and admire
At the Christmas season in Lima-com.
ing as it does ut midsummer-the skies nre
cloudless and the air is tempered by the
breeze from the Pacific, which rolls pac
idly along the shores of Peru AS the
brief twilight of the tropics fades, the
jeweled cross of the southern hemisphere
rises in the sky, the avenues of the plaza
begin to fill, bright eyes flash brief Chances
of recognition, friends exchange pleasant
greetings as they meet, the well trained
bands of the garrison play softly in tht
summer air, until at last the sweet voiced
bell Of the cathedral tolls the "Animas. ,
There is a momentary hush, whispered
prayer for the souls OF loved ones gone be
fore, the crowd begins to melt silently
away, and as the moon rises soft and full
, over the distant peaks of the Andes W,
turn from the scene, bearing with us
pleasant memory Of Christmas in Peru
Tx Mayor Grace in Troy Times,