The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-01

gather to oppose its return. The fighting
in such cases is prolonged, and is not infre-
ouently attended with fatal results. The
more peaceable villagers are content to
leave the dummy in the water where 1t is
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 60 beat.
Then men, women and children begin TO
run round the village as fast as they can,
making as much noise az possible. The OBJ
ject of this performance is to drive out the
evil spirits Death is supposed to.haVe LETT
behind. The quicker the people go and the
more noise they make, the more etfectuaIly
is the place cleared Of the Jumps 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
nell, as for a wager. the men hootlng, 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 VA
earthly clstter
RACE FROM START TO FINISH.
On they go, dashing up one street and
down another, past pillar aud post, always
quicker and quicker, while children STUN
until, exhausted and out of breath, the
noisy multitude returns to the point whence
the start was made
It is generally evening by the time Death
has been drowned, and the place cleared OF
the 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. It is an old Salvonic belief
! that on this night the gates of heaven are
opened, and il any one asks for special
gift at the actual moment OF opening 1t
will certainly be granted. At that particu-
lar instant, too, ell trees are said to bear
golden fruits, and whosoever Is lucky
enough to grasp them just then may retain
them for bis OVID. The Russian peasant,
therefore, stays out in the field Ill night in
order to watch for the opening OF the sky.
That he does not make much OF the oppor-
tunity is perhaps due TO the fact that he
often takes advantage of the camping-out
festivities to get SO drunk on vodlA 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 ia the east by the women who
keep watch the villagers are reused. aud
speedily afoot 10 a body they proceed to
the nearest hill facing east, where the earli-
est rays OF the spring sun fall, there TO
welcome "Vesna, the goddess Of returning
summer. The two elders of the village
take with them 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, aud the men call out
loudly: Mother Vesna! see herel" desir-
ing the goddess to accept their welcome.
And with this invocation the special oere-
monies of the death Week" terminate.