The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-06
NO. 100.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. FAST.
A Day Of Thanksgiving and Religious OBJ
servations.

The third Sunday in September is
set aside in Switzerland for the Federal
Fast, and it has been on several occa-
sions since its institution strictly enjoy
ed by proclamation Of the CoRseil d
Etdt in different cantons. The date
Of this day Of penance is at once an
cient in its origin, its injunctons very
precise, and its character singularly in
consistent with the celebration it had
in view.
After the departure of Napoleon l.,
for St. Helena, Switzerland found her
self freed from the yoke laid upon her
neck by the omnipotent Emperor and
able to recover her autonomy. The
"Dieta," now bearing the name Of "Fed.
eral Council" decreed that every year
this auspicious event should be COM
memorated by a celebration taking
place on the third Sunday of Septem-
Der. The festivities were to be OF an
exclusively religious nature, and every
citizen was to visit the churches and
offer up thanksgiving to his Maker.
The whole population has always
piously conformed to this patriotic
duty as it was laid upon it. From the
early dawn, on the appointed day, the
faithful flock to their temples, as the
strict disciples of Calvin call their
places of worship to distinguish them
emphatically from those Of the Catho-
lies and Lutherans Special and length
ened services are held, and earnest
sermons preached by the pastors. But
whatever the faith, religion or sect to
which Swiss belongs, whether native
born or one by adoption, he never
shirks the public manifestation of fast
ing and prayer, imploring Divine as
sstance and protection for the prosper
ity of the Fatherland.
If any one canton has suffered from
the visitatons of excessive snowi
hail, or destructive avalanches, on the
third Sunday of September collections
are made for the victims and generously
responded to.
Beyond the proclamations of the
Federal Council, the CoHSeI d'Etat of
each canton exhorts those under its
control to the fear of God, the obser-
vance of justice, and the practice of
good deeds. Shops and places Of busi.
ness are hermetically closed. Sabbath
cal observance being by no means a
nnnnfol r,,la a,ofN thara tS OF NJ at
any kind of manual labor.
At the close of the religious services,
toward or S in the afternoon the
devotees return to their homes and par
t,ke Of frugal collation.. The more
strict among them, however, fast till the
evening. Some few years ago slight
relaxation crept into the austerity of the
rules. On the eve of the fast day the
young people Of both sexes gathered a
plentiful harvest Of grapes in the vine
yards to be used for the open tarts in
vogue in the country. On the return
from the "Temple" on the Sunday the
relations and friends of each family as
sisted in the making of the tarts with all
the mastery of long experience, and now
the delicacy is looked upon with some
thing of the reverential regard awarded
by the Englishman to his Christmas
plum pudding.
But in spite of this gastronomic re-
creation the day maintains its sober and
stern character. 1t is, however, whis-
pered that some reCreants are habtually
called across the frontier by important
business precisely at that date, and that
they spend twenty four hours in nun.
dane pleasures; but there are free.thnk-
ers in all communities, and it must be
confessed that the deserters, if any, are
chiefly strangers or lately naturalized
residents. The loyal sons Of Helvetia
consider it patriotic duty to conform
strictly to the regulations of the day as
they obtain in the twenty-five cantons
Of the confederate.
The inconsistency of celebrating
dellverance from oppression and recon.
quered freedom by fasting and penace
remains ineXplicable, and strikes the
spectator as the most incongruous
fashion of expressing national rejoicing.