Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-19

land, and is considered to bring misfortune
with it besides. The dummy is carried
back by those who find it within theil
boundaries, while the village folk who lef
it there gather to oppose its return. Th'
lighting in such cases is prolonged, and II
not infrequently attended with fatal results
The more peaceable villagers are content u
leave the dummy in the water where it i!
thrown.
On returning to the village sundry addi-
tions are made to the instruments with
which the people are provided. The bells
are taken from the necks of the COWS, as
well as the horns used for calling cattle to.
gether One or two procure drums to beat.
Then men, women and children begin to
run round the village as fast as they can,
making as much noise as possible. The
object of this performance is to drive out
the evil spirits Death is supposed to have
left behind. The quicker the people 20
and the more noise they make, the more
effectually is the place cleared OF the imps
supposed to follow in the train of Death,
and the greater will be the blessings of the
coming season. The villagers, therefore,
rush along pell-mell, as for wager, the
men hooting, the women screaming at the
top of their voices the children joining in
with piping treble, horns blowing, drums
beating and bells ringing, the pots and cans
making an unearthly clatter.
A Race From Start to Finish.
On they 60, dashing up one street and
down another, past pillar and post, always
quicker and quicker, while children stum-
BILE and elderly people fall into the rear,
until, exhausted and out of breath, the
noisy multitude returns to the point whence
the start was made.
1t is generally evening by the time Death
has been drowned, and the place cleared Of
evil spirits. The villagers take rest, and
then prepare to camp out for the night;
among the Southern Slavs no one ever
dreams of going to sleep on the evening Of
the festival. 1t is an old Salvonic belief
that on this night the gates of heaven are
opened, and if anyone asks for special
gift at the actual moment of opening 1t will
certainly be granted. At that particular in
slant, too all trees are said to bear golden
fruits aud whosoever is lucky enough to
grasp them just then may retain them for
his own. The Russian peasant, therefore,
stays out in the field all night in order to
watch for the opening of the sky. That he
does not make much Of the opportunity is
perhaps due to the fact that he often takes
advantage of the camping-out festivities to
get so drunk on vodiki that were the heavens
really to rain gifts during the night he would
be in no condition to profit by the bounties
of the Skies
AS soon as the first signs of sunrise are
observed in the east by the women who
keep watch the villagers ure reused, and
are speedily afoot. In body they proceed
to the nearest hill facing east, where the
earliest rays of the spring sun fall, there to
welcome 'Vesna," the goddess Of returning
summer. The two elders of the village
take with them a clean white cloth and
some bread and salt. Arrived at the sum-
NIT of the hill, the cloth is spread upon the
ground and fastened down by pegs to pre-
vent it blowing away. The bread and salt
are placed upon it, and the men call out
loudly: "Mother Vesna! see herep desiring
the goddess to accept their welcome. And
with this invocation the special ceremonies
of the "Death Week" terminate.