The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-08-31
ANCIENT FESTIVAL OF YucATAN

ANCIENT FESTIVAL OF YucATAN.
Sacrifices and Ceremonies for Invoking tho
Rain Gods.
Among nearly all the people of earth
trees. here one kind. there another,
have been held sacred. The Assyrians,
as we see by sculptures which their
artists have belueathed to us, wor-
SHIPPED tree, AMI the devotees thus
represented have in their hands what
appears to be the cone of pine tree.
The object might also be taken for q
pineapple, but this fruit has no con-
nection with any tree, hence one is
more inclined to regard the thing IS q
pine cone.
The ancient Druids assembled for
worship among the sturdy oaks, which
they looked upon with much reverence.
The Yggdrasil ash was profoundly
venerated by Scandinavians. At Del
phi the laurel was the holy tree. In
Ceylon the lofty palm was dear to it's
worshipers, while throughout India
several trees were held sacred, the two
favorites being the DO or pipal (picus
religiosal, and the banyan (picus In
dlca.) The cypress had special merit
for some North American Indians, who
at certain seasons hung upon it many
votive offerings. Ancient picture writ
lngs of Mexico show that people in that
beautiful country rendered homage to
the papaw tree (genus Anona, or Gus
tard apple.) The Mayas, once the mas
ters of all Central America, greatly
esteemed the wide-spreading ever
green ceiba tree, even believing that it
| would be one Of the beautiful objects
In the paradise of their future life.
When Columbus was busy hunting
after this big continent the ceiba was
very dear to the Mayas, as it had been
for many centuries. At the approach
of the rainy season the chac, or
weather genii, masters of the clouds,
were invoked, and the people had a
great hunt, killing many creatures of
the forests and making burnt offer
ing OF their hearts. Then several Jars,
filled with water, were suspended and
broken. The fluid gushing out was
symbolical of the bursting of storm
clouds. The name of that quaint cere-
mony was Tup kak, meaning to extin-
guish fire, and very appropriately, since
the first showers refresh the parched
soil and searching atmosphere. 1t has
not yet fallen into disuse, though it
has undergone some changes. At the
hacienda of Uxmal pronounced
OoshmaD where, in an open square, a
superb ceiba spreads it's cool, shady
branches, it was highly entertaining
one afternoon to observe the modern
form of the Tup kak. BY the trunk of
| the great tree squatted q man playing
sacatan, drum that is exactly like
the tamtam of the Africans. Not for
one instant did he pause from the time
when the people began to gather on
the spot until all had dispersed. He
pounded away as if the entire nation
depended on his present exertions for
its agricultural prosperity, or as if the
evil genii of drouth might creep in and
ruin the whole affair should he venture
to relax his efforts in the least degree
Men, women and children congregated
beneath the tree, where number of
red earthen jars, some fancifully
painted and all corked, were placed in
a line, as directed by master of cere-
MONIES Over low branch rope was
thrown. To one end of this jar was
secured and jerked up and down by a
man having hold of the other end
! Boys armed with sticks stood in line
and, one by one, passed beneath the
jumping jar, aiming blow at it, their
business being to break the same.
Some of the Indian lads welded their
| stick so effectually that the jar fell in
fragments on their upturned face, to
the delight of the others, who, without
looking. threw themselves on the
ground to scramble for the good things
supposed to be in the jars. Some dis
appointment resulted from the first
twelve being full of emptiness. This
exasperated the enterprising youths,
because their companions made fun OF
them. Two jars contained rubbish
that came tumbling upon the bare
heads and created some merriment.
Live pigeons flew out of one and away.
Two jars had been filled with stones,
which happily did not hurt any one,
while in two others all manner of in
sects had been closed up; the scorpions
among them created some excitement.
Generous matrons had filled three jars
with wholesome food. The next two
contained new handkerchiefs that in.
stantly found owners. Two loathsome
looking iguanas crept out of one jar
and were speedily executed, because
their skin fetches good price among
shoemakers, who convert it into fancy
sandals and slippers. 1t was pretty
sight to see dozens of brilliant butter
flies swarming out of a jar. The deli
cate creatures seemed dazed for mo-
ment, but quickly flew out of reach,
some with their gauzy wings little
bit ru,npled. This display of life in
one of it's most exquisite forms was fol-
lowed by dead bird. Then came a
shower of fruit. Rice was the next
offering, and corn buildings wrapped
in pieces of banana leaf. Lastly, there
was jar full of imported crackers,
upon the breaking of which there en-
sued a desperate struggle that reduced
more than half of the coveted morsels
to fine powder. Altogether thirty-three
jars were shattered in ninety minutes,
and, as OF old, the breaking OF jars
filed with water was symbolical OF
bursting clouds, so the contents OF
these were fgurative of the many
things resulting from the revivifying
rain. The peculiar rolling of the SAGA
tan drum was stril<ingly suggestive OF
distant thunder.
The man who had arranged the jars
before their destruction knew the con-
tents of each. He was the H-men or
wise man of the place, and it is prob
able that those same contents had q
meaning for him, such as the following,
which suggested itself while consider.
ing the order in which the jars were
First came emptiness-Alas! What
can we hope for, how thrive, without
the beneficent rain?
| RuhhiSh-nrO1th 1oovoc hut ,of,,,o